Many gardeners often encounter such a common pest as wireworm. It causes significant damage to the harvest of potatoes, carrots, and beets. Penetrating into the tubers, it leaves passages in them. Damaged potatoes rot and cannot be stored. Cleaning and consuming such a tuber is quite problematic.

Wireworms can be detected if there are dark holes on potato tubers and other root vegetables. small size. Cutting the tuber, you can see that there are passages running through the entire potato, this is the trace of the larva. Possible reason Wilting of a plant against the background of healthy bushes can also be the activity of wireworms. When digging the soil, you can find larvae. They should be collected and destroyed.

Description of the pest

Wireworm- This is the larva of a click beetle. When turned over, this beetle makes a specific click. The size of an adult individual is about 1.5 cm, colored brown. An adult insect does not harm the crop. The life cycle is about 4-5 years. The pest remains in the larval stage for 3-4 years. Therefore, there are individuals of different ages in the soil.

In the first year of life, the larvae are practically inactive. In the second year they become yellow and acquire a dense chitinous shell. Outwardly they resemble wire. Beetles overwinter at a depth of 15-30 cm. warm time they are active in the evening. Beetles feed on leaves.

The largest number of this pest in wet and heavy soils is located at a depth of about 10-15 cm. In dry soil, the larvae can dive to a depth of up to a meter.

To get rid of this harmful insect or reduce its numbers, it is necessary to carry out a number of measures to combat it.

Preventive actions

1. Maintain crop rotation that includes legumes. Alternate planted strips of legumes with main crops.
2. It is recommended to plant corn or sunflower between potatoes.
3. Autumn digging of the soil to a depth of about 25 cm. The larvae that find themselves on the surface die when low temperatures. Shallow spring digging.
4. Liming soil with an acidic reaction. Once every 3 years, add dolomite flour.
5. Weed control (wheatgrass).
6. Plantings should not be thickened.
7. Marigolds and calendula among plantings repel the pest.
8. Autumn sowing of mustard in quality. When the mustard reaches 10 cm, it is cut and embedded in the soil. You can also use sweet clover or buckwheat.
9. Timely harvesting. Do not leave unharvested root vegetables in the ground over the winter.
10. It is advisable not to import soil from other areas, as it may be contaminated.

Agrotechnical control measures

1. Planting potatoes in combination with legumes (beans, peas, beans).
2. Sowing lettuce in potato rows. Plants are removed when they are infested with a pest.
3. Frequent loosening raises wireworm eggs laid at a depth of 10-12 cm to the soil surface. They die in the sun.

Chemical methods

1. When planting, you need to spill the holes with a solution of potassium permanganate (2 g per 10 l).
2. In the fall, potassium chloride can be added to the digging.
3. Liming.
4. Application of nitrogen fertilizers during planting. They are toxic to the beetle.
5. Use of ammonia water.

The use of insecticides to combat wireworms has sufficient good effect. But you should not abuse them. Pests become resistant to the drugs over time. Before using the products, be sure to read the instructions and follow the recommended dosage.

Insecticides:

• "Bazudin";
• "Trap";
• "Thunder-2";
• "Provotox";
• "Karate";
• "Decis";

The holes should be treated with insecticides or planting material. Insecticides can be applied to sawdust, which is later used when planting in furrows or holes.

Designed and biological method pest control - the drug "Nemabakt". This is a symbiosis of a nematode and bacteria.

Traditional methods

The most gentle measures are considered traditional methods. They include the use of various traps and herbal infusions.

Potato tubers or other root vegetables can become a trap for wireworms

Traps:

1. Place half a potato or other root vegetable on the end of a 20 cm long branch. and bury to a depth of about 10 cm. After a few days, remove the trap and remove the wireworms. After refreshing the cut and moistening it, place the trap back in the ground.
2. Place jars up to half a liter in volume in a shaded place along the neck. You need to place pieces of potatoes or root vegetables in them. Check the traps every few days and replace the bait.
3. Distribute evenly throughout the entire area small piles of manure, potato tops or straw. Pests prefer to live in them. After a week they must be destroyed.
4. The remaining grounds from kvass should be placed in a nylon sock and bury, leaving the end on the surface. A few days later the trap is inspected.

Traps should be used before planting potatoes, as well as throughout the entire growing season of the plant.

Herbal infusions:

1. 100 g of celandine is added to 10 liters of water. Let it brew for three days.
2. 0.5 kg of nettle leaves are infused in 10 liters of water.
3. 200 g of coltsfoot or dandelion are added to 10 liters of water.

Other recipes require about 12 hours to infuse. Afterwards, water the infected areas with herbal infusion. Carry out this watering once a week.

Scattered around the dacha area has a good effect. crushed eggshell . When planting you can add onion peel and mustard powder, they have a repellent effect.

Planting corn or oat seeds treated with any recommended insecticide is also an effective control measure. Sowing should be done several weeks before planting the main crops. Feeding on poisoned sprouts, the insect dies.

An important point in the fight against wireworms is timely weeding of the area. You should not leave plant debris between the beds; these are favorite places for their accumulation and reproduction.

The wireworm is considered very dangerous pest capable of ruining up to 60% of the harvest. Only the use of an integrated approach in the fight against it will allow us to reduce its numbers and gain personal plot good and high quality harvest.

In terms of the general damage caused to the potato plot, the wireworm is perhaps not much inferior to the Colorado potato beetle. But they write and talk a lot about the Colorado potato beetle, all the advertising is replete with the names of the most fashionable drugs for successfully fighting the American “robber”, and the handsome beetle itself sits on potato tops like in a picture, like a big ladybug, and the leaves eaten by it immediately catch the eye.

But the wireworm is not seen or heard, nothing is written about it in advertising, and practically no available and widespread drugs have been created to combat it. Meanwhile, the pest is slowly doing its “dirty” work.

Wireworms are the larvae of the click beetle. © Rasbak

Click beetles, wireworms (lat. Elateridae) are a family of beetles. Body length is usually 7-20 (sometimes up to 50) mm. About 10 thousand species in Eurasia and America; in Russia there are several hundred species, almost everywhere. Larvae (wireworms) damage the roots of many plants. The name was given in connection with characteristic features structure and behavior. Below on the prothorax there is a finger-like process directed backwards, and on the mesothorax there is a corresponding notch. The beetle, turned over on its back, arches, removing the process from the recess and resting it on its edge, after which it returns the process to the recess with a click. As a result of this click, the beetle jumps. The beetle will continue clicking until it rolls over onto its ventral surface and stands on its feet.

Larvae

The development cycle of the click beetle is completed in 5 years. In early spring, female beetles, emerging from wintering, from May to July (depending on the zone) lay in upper layer soil - in cracks, under lumps of earth, under heaps of weeds and plant debris left in the garden, small white eggs (0.5 mm). The masonry is carried out in small piles (3 - 5 pieces). The fertility of one female is approximately 120-150 eggs. After 20-40 days, depending on the zone and type of click beetle, larvae hatch from the eggs, which grow and develop for 3-4 years. The larvae live in the ground; in the first year they feed on underground parts of plants, but at this time they do not damage cultivated plants. In the second year, the larvae increase in size, acquire a yellow or light brown color, and become very mobile. Their body is thin and very hard, for which they are called wireworms. It is almost impossible to crush a wireworm; it is easier to tear it apart. From the second year and later, the wireworm is most dangerous. In the fourth year, the adult larva pupates in the soil, and in early spring a new generation of beetles emerges from the pupae.

The damage caused by wireworms is enormous. They destroy swollen seeds and shoots, eat up tender roots and stems. Wireworms bore into roots and tubers and make passages in them, causing rot and making them unsuitable for storage.

The biology of click beetles is better studied in Palaearctic species, less so in Nearctic species, and very poorly studied in tropical species, there are only small fragmentary records about them.

Russian name "nutcrackers" (and English name"click beetle") is given to these beetles because of the sound made during the operation of the jumping mechanism.

The larvae have a separate name - wireworms, because of their elongated body with hard shiny covers, they are serious polyphagous pests, damaging the underground parts of agricultural, horticultural and forest crops.

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How to get rid of wireworm?

To reduce the number of pests on a personal plot, it is recommended to carry out the following measures:

• in early spring- deep plowing or digging of the soil, destroying weeds, especially creeping wheatgrass;
• place potatoes after peas and beans;
• in fields heavily infested with wireworms in early spring, 1-2 weeks before planting potatoes, make bait sowing. To do this, sow the seeds of oats, barley, corn, wheat, 4-5 grains each, into nests at a distance of 50-70 cm or in a line. Then dig up the seedlings of these crops along with the wireworms that have gathered on them and destroy them;
• Place bait into the soil to a depth of 5-15 cm in the form of a piece of tuber, beet, carrot or any cake at the rate of 1-2 pieces. per 1 m², marking these places with twigs. After 3-4 days, remove the baits and destroy the pests that have accumulated on them;
• to reduce the harmfulness of wireworms in potato rows, it is recommended to sow lettuce, the roots of which these pests feed on;
• significantly reduces the number of wireworms and the harmfulness of their larvae by liming acidic soils;
• Apply granular insecticides before plowing the soil or when planting potatoes. You can prepare them yourself. To do this, scatter 5 kg of granulated superphosphate thin layer on plastic film and spray with one of the pesticides (actellik - 15 ml, decis extra - 4 ml, karate - 1 ml), diluted in a water-acetone solution (80 ml water + 200 ml acetone). Dry the resulting preparation in the shade and scatter it over the area (this amount is calculated for 100 m²), then dig it up immediately. Otherwise, when planting potatoes under a shovel, place 5 granules of treated superphosphate in each hole;
• Before planting potatoes, water the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate (5 g per 10 liters of water) at the rate of 0.5 liters per hole or under the root. The solution should only be used for alkaline soils. You can also water the potatoes with a three-day infusion of celandine (100 g of crushed plant matter per 10 l of water), nettle (500 g per 10 l of water), dandelion (200 g per 10 l of water), coltsfoot (200 g per 10 l water) and repeat this procedure 2-3 times with an interval of 7 days.

Lmbuga

Control methods using baits

There is quite a labor-intensive, but enough effective method catching larvae and beetles using bait. In this case, you will have to check the traps every 2-3 days, but you will be surprised at how many larvae will gather there in the week before planting the potatoes. In practice, it happened that up to 8-10 larvae were selected from such traps. It’s troublesome, but if you remember that each larva will gnaw on your potatoes for 3 years, then the game is worth the candle. It is usually advised to put pieces of raw potatoes on sticks and then bury them in the ground, leaving the free end outside. After checking the traps and selecting the larvae, the sticks are buried again, but in a different place in the area. It is recommended to do this all summer if necessary.

You can also use glass jars, in which potatoes, carrots or beets are placed at the bottom. The jars are buried up to the neck in shady places plot, it is also necessary to select pests every 2-3 days. Oh, by the way, don’t forget to update the cuts on the pieces or replace the bait completely, otherwise the larvae’s appetite will decrease.

Cunning gardeners catch larvae using regular fishing line. To do this, pieces of potatoes are strung on it, the distance between them should be approximately 10 cm, the bait is buried to a depth of 10-15 cm in the groove. With this method the catch will be even greater. After 4-5 days, the fishing line is selected, the larvae are scalded with boiling water or burned. By the way, chickens eat wireworm larvae with appetite. If the larvae are offered a choice of potato pieces or sprouted seeds of wheat, barley or corn, they will leave the potatoes alone. Before planting potatoes or later, in the inter-row spaces, seeds of bait crops are sown. Wireworms gathered on the roots are selected by pulling out the plants. It is recommended to sow cereals throughout the season - until the garden is free of larvae.

Sometimes it is advised to treat the seeds of barley, wheat, corn or other bait crops with Decis and Karate preparations before sowing. Then you need to dry the seeds in the sun and sow. In this case, some of the larvae will be additionally destroyed by the drugs, because they prefer to feed on seed sprouts, and at this time the drugs are still active. The validity period of these drugs is about a month, and by the time the root crops are harvested harmful substances are no longer dangerous to humans.

Apply mechanical methods catching is, of course, very troublesome, but promising. After all, several generations of larvae usually live on the site. And they themselves will never leave your plantings - miracles don’t happen. A less labor-intensive method is to dig several holes evenly throughout the area at the very beginning of spring, into which to place large bunches of rotted grass, hay or straw. Wireworm larvae will certainly gather in these holes in search of warmth and food. And after a few days this grass must be selected and burned. The effectiveness will depend on the effort, because the operation must be repeated several times (according to reviews, from 20 to 90% reduction in pest numbers is achieved).

Experienced gardeners for especially valuable, varietal plantings of potatoes advise using pre-planting soaking of tubers in a strong solution of celandine. It itself is poisonous, but if the tubers are grown for seeds, this method can also be used.

Potassium permanganate is good only if there is a small wireworm infestation.

Of these control methods, the most harmless is to water the soil with potassium permanganate before planting. The solution should be Pink colour, consumption - a bucket for 10-15 holes. You can treat potato planting material before planting with a stronger solution of potassium permanganate. True, the effectiveness of this method is good only when the soil is slightly populated with wireworms. Experts advise applying ammonium-containing fertilizers before sowing root crop seeds and planting potatoes, always incorporating them into the soil so that the smell of ammonia is preserved. You can add 15 g/m2 of ammonium nitrate, or up to 30 g/m2 of ammonium sulfate. The latter is preferable.

Wireworm is the larva of the click beetle. © Danny Steaven

If it was not possible to cope with the problem using agrotechnical, mechanical and other methods, then the use of the drug bazudine remains in stock. His active substance diazinon is highly toxic to humans and other warm-blooded animals. And the application rates for basadine are quite high - up to 40g/m2, so it is reasonable to use this method only when the pest population is large. More harmless methods have not yet been invented.

How do you fight this pest?

» Diseases and treatment

The wireworm gets its name from its bright brown color with a reddish tint. From a distance the larvae resemble scraps of copper wire.

Click beetles appear in gardens already in April, as soon as the daytime temperature reaches 8-10°. In early May, they lay eggs directly into the soil (under clods, bushes). A new generation of wireworms is born after 15-20 days. During the first year of life, their body reaches 5-7 mm.

What plants are affected by the pest in the country?

The wireworm's gluttony is obvious, no matter what it feeds on. These are grains, melons and vegetable crops, as well as some ornamental plants. Swollen seeds, shoots, young shoots and tender stems can be delicacies. It even reaches the roots of fruit trees.

The larvae show particular interest in the following plants:

• potato;
• corn;
• carrot;
• sunflower;
• salad;
• alfalfa;
• tobacco;
• melon;
• watermelon, etc.

Damaged vegetables not only lose their marketable value, but also become unfit for consumption due to short storage (they quickly rot).

In addition to the harvest, wireworms also pose a danger to humans, which lies in the use chemicals. Toxic substances are deposited not only in the fruits, but also in the soil, which negatively affects subsequent plantings of the new season.

This is explained by soil contamination, disruption of its structure and microflora due to the death of earthworms and beneficial microorganisms.

The use of special preparations to protect crops One of the new developments in agrochemistry is the drug Nemabact, which is obtained by combining two organisms different types

(predatory nematodes and bacteria). The principle of action of the product is the penetration of the nematode into the wireworm. There it releases a bacterium that destroys the insides of the pest. They, in turn, feed the nematode. The wireworm has no chance of survival.

• To combat larvae, you can cultivate the soil:

Diazinon et al.

Using traditional methods to combat beetles in the garden It is highly undesirable to use insecticides in the countryside, and products based on biomaterials cost money. And summer residents cannot find time to buy them because of the difficulty of traveling from the outskirts of the city to the center. They come to the rescue traditional methods

, which have been tested for effectiveness over the years.

• Particularly popular is a recipe that includes a set of plants that are insecticides by nature:
• dandelion (200 g);
• nettle (500 g);
• celandine (100 g);

coltsfoot (200 g).

Wireworm eating potatoes The components need to be crushed, poured(10 l) and let it brew for 3-4 days. You need to water the beds with the solution 2-3 times with breaks of 1 week.

Preventive methods for the appearance of wireworms on potatoes and potato fields in spring and autumn

Systematic treatments, timely weed control and thorough cleaning of the garden after the harvest leaves no chance for click beetle larvae to survive. As you can see, getting them out is not difficult.

What beauty a garden or dacha is illuminated with when flowers bloom in the area! Lush peonies, bright crocuses, delicate lilies become real royal decorations of any garden! It seems that dozens of multi-colored lights “illuminate” the area.

You will find detailed photos and descriptions of this pest in this article.

The dangerous wireworm is not an independent insect or worm; it belongs to the larvae of the click beetle. Unfortunately for gardeners, about ten thousand varieties of this beetle are known! It lives in America and the countries of the Eurasian continent. Several hundred species are found in Russia.

The wireworm beetle got its interesting name due to its behavior and body structure. With the help of a process and a notch located on the chest, he can return to his original position if he accidentally turns over on his back.

The bouncing process is accompanied by a characteristic click. REFERENCE!

You can destroy the larva only by (breaking) tearing it in half with your hands!

If you want to save delicate flower bulbs from the merciless wireworm, do not allow the above-mentioned plants to grow. ATTENTION!

The following varieties are particularly dangerous: dark, seed, striped, wide, steppe and black.

Photo of wireworm

Below are photos that will help you understand what a wireworm looks like.

Wireworm on the site

Wireworm development The click beetle matures in five years. In early spring, females, having left wintering grounds, lay small white eggs, half a millimeter in size, near the surface of the ground. Depending on the region, the egg laying process continues from May to July.

The bouncing process is accompanied by a characteristic click. As a place, the female chooses cracks in the soil, recesses under clods of earth, accumulation of weeds and plant remains in the area. The female makes several clutches, laying three to five eggs in each pile.

Depending on the region and the variety of click beetle, after twenty to forty days the eggs hatch into larvae, whose development cycle lasts from three to four years. Insects settle in the ground; in the first year of life they are not dangerous for bulbous flowers and other garden plantings, as they feed on small roots.

Comfortable conditions for active growth and development of larvae are temperatures of twenty degrees and humidity of fifty to sixty percent. The larvae of the wireworm beetle become larger after a year and are painted in a characteristic yellow or Brown color, acquire strong mobility.

Wireworms pose a great danger to bulbous flowers from the second year of life. After four years, the maturation process ends, the larva pupates and turns into a beetle in early spring.

Now you know exactly how wireworms reproduce!

Pest control

The developed methods for combating the insatiable pest are based on the conditions of its reproduction, development and survival. First, let's create unfavorable conditions in the place where our delicious bulbous flowers grow.

Add lime to acidic soil periodically. We add it in the autumn while digging up the site at the rate of two hundred to three hundred grams per square meter. Crushed egg shells and wood ash also help reduce the acidity level (we add them when planting flowers).

Next we get rid of the weeds, especially the wireworm’s favorite delicacies. We remember that he loves wheatgrass and thistle. First of all, we get rid of this “dessert”, then we move on to the destruction of other weeds. In the garden we plant crops whose smell repels larvae: soybeans, beans, beans and peas.

We do not plant the land on the site too often. If it is not possible to leave space between plantings on the site, resort to private weeding to remove weeds.

In autumn, dig up the entire area deeply (at least twenty centimeters) to pull the larvae to the surface. Loosen the soil in late spring to remove click beetle eggs. They will die in the hot and bright sun.

There are still a large number of ways to combat wireworms. Use chemicals, agricultural techniques, set special traps and resort to other tricks. More detailed and comprehensive information on the fight against wireworms is presented in ours!

Useful video

Tips from a wireworm control professional:

Conclusion

The wireworm is a frequent resident of our dachas and vegetable gardens. It leaves unfortunate gardeners without a harvest and spoils appearance plot, destroying bulbous flowers. By making narrow passages in the bulbs, it provokes the appearance of bacterial and viral diseases, as well as simply the death of the flower.

If you want to clear your area of ​​a pest, carefully study the information about fighting it and be patient: it is unlikely that you will be able to get rid of the annoying resident in one year.