Nutcracker beetle (wireworm) on potatoes: description and fight with photo

Often in the garden you can find a nutcracker beetle that destroys potato tubers, feeds on stems and leaves, leaving holes in them. You need to know how to deal with wireworm on potatoes in order to save the crop. It is quite difficult to recognize the affected fruits, only while digging them up. There are basic methods of struggle that are more gentle on potatoes and the garden as a whole.

Description of the individual

Wireworms are the larvae of an adult click beetle. These are black beetles that lay their larvae in the ground. These larvae then damage the crop, begin to feed on roots, potatoes and flower tubers.

In winter, the larva huddles in the soil under the snow. Deep in the earth she is warm. When heat comes, the insect crawls out to the surface. The wireworm loves heat, humidity, acidic soil. Therefore, when fighting it, you must first get rid of too acidic soil. They grow well when the air warms up to twenty degrees in spring.

If the wireworm is in potatoes, it means that buttercup, wood lice, wheatgrass grow somewhere nearby. The worm loves to eat it. Therefore, before planting, you need to make sure that there is no such weed nearby.

Beetles lay eggs not only on tubers, but also destroy all bulbous flowers, bean roots, beets, wheat, corn. They don't leave plants alive. That is why they must be fought.

Beetles are also called nutcrackers for the sound they make as if they are clicking. They have a long, elongated body covered in black armor. She's so hard that she can't be crushed.

Why are bugs dangerous?

Small larvae do little harm. The most dangerous are the larvae that live longer than two years. They already look like worms, their body is about three centimeters long. It becomes hard and durable. Its color is from yellow to brown.

Then these worms are already beginning to actively eat the crop. They feed on potato tubers, beets, plant roots, stems, seeds, without leaving the plant alive. They rot and die.

A gnawed potato loses its presentation, it quickly rots, it needs to be cut a lot to be used for food. The larvae live for a long time, therefore, if they are not disposed of in the fall, the situation will repeat itself next year, and crop losses will be significant.

That's why gardeners fight these parasites. There are basic ways to help you deal with them perfectly.

What does a damaged vegetable look like?

Click beetles cause great damage to the potato crop. It is very difficult to remove a wireworm from a potato tuber if it has already settled there. The vegetable is already becoming unfit for food.

In the photo you can see what an infected potato looks like. It's full of holes made by worms. They leave passages of complex shape. Sometimes the inside is already rotten. The holes in the tubers are already visible from the outside. Such a root crop is difficult to peel and cut, removing these moves and worms. It is often thrown away and not used for food.

Mushrooms, rot, bacteria, mold can get through the holes. Such a vegetable is already difficult to save. All this is very reflected in the appearance of potatoes and quality. We need to exterminate these insects, otherwise they will eventually destroy the entire crop It is best to take preventive measures.

Chemicals to help

There are a lot of secrets on how to get rid of wireworms in a potato field. Their description can be read on the Internet or in books about gardening. Especially effective is the use of chemicals. After all, some elements are very poisonous for parasites.

To protect plantings, it is recommended to fertilize the soil with ammonium sulfate in spring. It contains ammonia, which is harmful to beetles. You can also treat the landing sites on the potato plot with manganese dissolved in water. But it is important to adjust the acidity of the soil, as this can kill the leaves and stems of the crop.

What to do if wireworm larvae have already settled on potatoes. Many gardeners use a special preparation BB1 - an entomopathogenic fungus. It acts on insects by sprouting on their body. Parasites dry out, become covered with plaque, cannot develop and function normally. Mushrooms suppress their vital activity. Before removing parasites with this fungus, the soil must be moistened.

There are other products that can be purchased in specialized stores: Force, Cruiser, Aktara, Prestige, Taboo. These funds should be watered the soil, as well as planting material. You can ask consultants in stores how to destroy pests.

How to use traps?

Every experienced gardener knows how to protect potatoes from the click beetle without resorting to buying expensive poisonous products. You can always make traps in a potato field from these insects that destroy plants and flowers. It is known that a trap and a trap perfectly protect the crop from uninvited guests.

You can cook traps in the spring. In the place where insects used to live, you need to dig small holes, put grass, hay, the remains of tops, branches in them. Soon the pests will come running there. Then this grass must be burned. If necessary, repeat the procedure. You can also plant in the place where there will be potatoes, barley, oats.

As soon as small shoots appear, they must be dug up. There will be worms on the roots. They must be destroyed immediately.

You can throw pieces of beets, carrots to creeping enemies, burying them in the ground.After three or four days they can be dug up with worms. This is how these nutcrackers fall into traps. They should be scalded with hot water, burned. In order not to forget where the traps are hidden, you can stick small sticks on them.

You can also bury almost entirely in the ground. There must be some tasty bait inside. Every day, check them, free from insects, put fresh pieces. In autumn, the harvested land should also be checked for the presence of dangerous worms.

All these traps are sometimes more effective than poisonous substances against the larvae of the click beetle.

Folk methods

The fight against wireworm also implies folk remedies. They have been known for a very long time, and are passed down from generation to generation.

To destroy the wireworm, the places where potatoes are to be planted should be treated with infusions of various herbs: nettle, dandelion, celandine, wormwood.The aroma and bitterness of these plants will scare away the beetles. It is recommended to insist for half a day, a glass of herbs is taken on a bucket of water. They must be fresh and handpicked.

You can water the pits with a solution of manganese. This will disinfect the future crop, and scare away the worms. Potassium permanganate also protects against fungal diseases.

To get rid of pests use onion peel, mustard powder. You can alternate planting potatoes with mustard. The black beetle cannot bear this grass and will run away.

Every year you should dig up a section of the potato field, change the place, sprinkle with s alt. If potatoes grow from year to year in the same area, then there is no hope that pests will be eliminated. But you can't run the field either. An untidy garden bed is a breeding ground for bacteria and insects.

Prevention and feeding

It is necessary to know the measures to prevent the occurrence of larvae, so that later you do not puzzle over how to get rid of the wireworm. There are folk remedies that will help protect the crop.

It is very important to patiently take care of the plot, then you will not have to think about how to get rid of the wireworm in the potato.

Dig up the garden properly in autumn. This method is especially effective before the frosts. The larvae will get out and freeze. They won't be able to survive.

Also dig up plantations in early spring on sunny days. Direct sunlight will help kill the worms.

It is dangerous to take land from unverified other people's gardens. There may be many harmful insects. Beetles love acidic soil. Gardeners sometimes make the mistake of putting too much manure in the ground. This increases its acidity. Acidic soil can be regulated by planting sorrel, plantain, fertilizing the earth with ash, lime.

Periodically, once every two years, you should change the place for potatoes. No need to plant the same plants in the same place all the time. But it is also important to observe the correct fit.

In the place where there was a potato, you can plant something that clickers can not stand. It can be legumes, beans, mustard. Then the larvae will run away from the fields to places where they can feed.

After harvesting, it is important to check several times if there are any root crops left in the ground. After all, this is food for the development of worms. They grow up and become much more dangerous.

You can scatter raw egg shells over the area. Many insects are afraid of her. This is protection not only from the nutcracker, but also from slugs and bears. In addition, it is an excellent top dressing for the roots.

It is important to constantly fight weed grass, and also pay attention not only to potatoes, but also to other plants.

It is important for gardeners to learn all the techniques on how to get rid of wireworms in potatoes. If you use useful and safe means, you can once and for all save the garden from uninvited guests.

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