What does the wireworm eat. What is the wireworm afraid of in potatoes, how to get rid of. Green manure and legumes that repel wireworms

The wireworm is the larva of the nutcracker beetle. The cover is hard, shiny. Body length 1-4.5 cm, color - from yellow to brown. The duration of the larval phase is 3-4 years, after which they pupate, turn into an adult insect. The larvae and beetles overwinter in the ground.

There are many types of nutcrackers, most causing serious damage to crops. AT wild nature beetles choose places densely overgrown with grass, like to live in the roots of wheatgrass. From agricultural crops, root crops are preferred: potatoes, onions, sunflowers, carrots, barley, wheat, various seedlings.

There is a false wireworm (dark beetle larvae), similar to the real one. In addition to root crops and cereals, it willingly devours pumpkin, zucchini, sugar beet, young fruit trees. The duration of the larval phase is 1 year. To combat both types of pests, the same methods are used.

Overview of pesticides and preparations

Nutcracker beetles cause great damage to household plots and agro-industrial complexes. The larvae gnaw through tunnel-like passages in root crops, eat the shift, and destroy seedlings. Tubers and roots spoiled by nutcracker larvae quickly deteriorate and become unsuitable for storage and planting. There are especially many of these pests in areas that were not previously cultivated or were overgrown for a long time. To combat them, various means are used.

Bazudin

Bazudin Insecticide is a phosphorus-containing granular insecticide based on diazinon. An effective remedy against wireworm. Allows you to quickly clean land plot from pests living in the upper layers of the soil. Penetrates through the outer integument of the larvae and with food, destroys nervous system insects.

The impact of the insecticide is observed within the first 24 hours and lasts up to 6 weeks. The agent is moderately toxic (hazard class 3), but destructive for the inhabitants of water bodies. The product is not phytotoxic.

In a liter container, ¼ granules are mixed with ¾ sand or sawdust. The mixture is applied to a depth of 5-15 cm at the rate of 15 g per 15 sq.m for potatoes, cereals, root crops. To protect potatoes from wireworms, the composition is embedded in the top layer of soil during the growing season. Effectively treat the soil with an insecticide before planting at the rate of 15 g per 10 sq.m. site.

When working with an insecticide, it is necessary to wear rubber gloves, goggles, a respirator, avoid contact with the skin and mucous membranes. In case of accidental contact with skin or mucous membranes, rinse with plenty of water and seek medical attention immediately. Accidental ingestion causes severe poisoning, which is treated under medical supervision. The action of diazinon is neutralized by atropine exclusively under the supervision of a physician.

Wireworm preparations should be stored in dry places out of the reach of children and pets, separated from food, medicines, animal feed, dishes and feeders. Storage temperature from -10 C to +35 C. The packaging is disposed of as toxic substance. Do not combine with other drugs.

"Prestige" - an emulsion based on pencycuron and imidacloprid - a remedy for wireworm, false wireworm, mold, fungus. Additionally, the composition includes substances that stimulate plant growth. Seedlings and plants are treated with a protectant during the growing season. The decay period of poisons is 40 days, so it does not get into the fruits and tubers.

To protect potatoes, the disinfectant is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:20 and the potatoes are evenly sprayed before planting, allowed to dry, planted in the ground. The roots of cruciferous (cabbage) and nightshade seedlings are placed for 7 hours in a disinfectant solution, which is prepared in a ratio of 1:100.

The emulsion is classified as medium toxic substances (hazard class 3). When working, rubber gloves, a respirator, goggles are required. Processed seedlings with bare hands do not touch. After work, they wash their hands and face thoroughly with soap, take a shower, wash the mucous membranes, and change clothes. In case of contact with mucous membranes or accidental ingestion, immediately consult a doctor.

Store the disinfectant separately from food, medicines, feed, dishes in a dry place, out of the reach of children and animals. Storage temperature from -5 to +30 C. The drug solution is thoroughly mixed before use. Diluted emulsion is not subject to storage.

Means "Provotok" - a granular preparation of diazinon. The drug Bazudin in composition, form of release, purpose and action is completely identical to Provotox. The chemicals differ only in the trade name.

force

The drug "Force" is a granular insecticide based on tefluthrin, acting on various garden and field pests, including wireworm and. Maximum protection of crops from harmful insects living near the soil surface. The duration of action is more than 1.5 months. Tefluthrin has active volatile components that, evaporating, penetrate through the integument and respiratory system insects, causing fatal poisoning within 10-30 minutes. The poison does not get into the edible parts of plants.

The chemical is evenly distributed in the soil at a depth of 10-15 cm special equipment. Its consumption with moderate soil damage is 10 kg/ha. With a high concentration of potato pests, as well as when processing a plowed field for the first time, the dose can be increased to 15 kg/ha. Insecticide close up in the soil on the eve of planting.

Due to volatile fractions, the substance is classified as highly toxic. Working with it requires caution, the presence of rubber gloves, a respirator, goggles. Store in the dark, in a dry place at a temperature of -5 to +35 C. The drug must be kept isolated from children and animals, away from food, feed, medicines and utensils.

Cruiser, CS

"Cruiser, KS" - a preparation for wireworm and other pests that inhabit the upper layers of the soil and insects that affect the ground parts of plants. The active substance is thiamethoxam, low toxicity. It helps to fight insects, has a positive effect on plant endurance, growth and fruitfulness, allowing you to get good harvest. Compatible with fungicides and not compatible with organic solvents.

The tool is used for dressing non-germinated seeds using appropriate equipment. To prepare the solution, the tank of the dressing machine is half filled with water, the dressing agent is added, mixed thoroughly, the rest of the water is added and mixed again. The prepared composition can be stored for no more than a day, and the pickled seeds for no more than 6 months.

Different plants are treated with solutions of different concentrations.

• Potato - 0.03 l / c.
• Sugar beet - 1-1.5 l / c.
• Corn - 0.6-0.9 l / c.
• Spring rapeseed - 4 liters / c.
• Sunflower - 0.6-10 l / c.
• Winter wheat 0.04-0.05 l/c.

Metarizin is an organic remedy for wireworm, false wireworm, and other harmful larvae and insects inhabiting the soil. The active substance is an entomapathogenic fungus that infects insects, but is safe for all mammals, birds, bees, earthworms. The drug is a peat-humic fertilizer that accelerates the growth of crops, increases yields and gradually eradicates pests. The composition is non-toxic and safe. Compatible with various fertilizers.

The maximum effect is manifested if the area is watered before autumn or spring digging, or during hilling. For the treatment of seedlings, a solution is prepared in the ratio of 1g / liter; stirring, add clay. The amount of clay should be such that the suspension acquires a creamy consistency, use immediately. For spraying and watering, prepare a solution of 1 g per 1 liter of water. Watered: 10 liters per 100 sq.m.

Useful video: Means and methods of dealing with wireworm

How to get rid of wireworm without chemicals

1. Regular cleaning of garden debris and weeding the area reduces the number of pests, forcing them to migrate. Some of the larvae die of hunger.
2. Deep digging and loosening also clear the area of ​​the nutcracker beetle.
3. Trap. Before spring digging, heaps of dry grass are laid out on the site for several days, in which the larvae like to hide. Then they are burned, exterminating insects.
4. Bait. Cut and buried, to a depth of about 15 cm, cut down, the potato tuber attracts larvae. After 2-4 days, the bait is dug up, the hanging pests are destroyed.
5. Watering with herbal infusions.

• 0.5 kg of finely chopped nettle per 10 liters of water. Insist 12 hours.
• 100 celandine per 10 liters of water. Insist 3 days.
• 200 g finely chopped dandelion greens per 10 liters of water. Insist 12 hours.
• A handful of onion peel on the hole when planting potatoes repels insects.

Prevention

To prevent the appearance of nutcracker beetles, the following methods are used.

The wireworm is the larva of the same black click beetle with which many had fun in childhood: the “acrobat” turned on its back with a characteristic click bounces until it gets back on its feet. But the larva of this funny insect is a serious enemy for household plots, so the question of how to get a wireworm out of the garden has been and remains extremely serious for summer residents.

Description

In total, there are more than 75 varieties of click beetles, but summer residents are mainly faced with steppe, sowing and wide. Their larvae differ slightly in color and shape, but the damage is the same.

Outwardly, the wireworm is a short, thin and rather nimble worm, covered with such a hard shell that it is very difficult to crush it, it is easier to cut or tear it in half. The body consisting of 13 segments can be white, dirty yellow or brown, the head is brown. In front of the wireworm there are three pairs of legs. The tail is forked, spatulate or conical. In length, the larva reaches 4 cm, in diameter about 3 mm.

The fight against the wireworm is complicated by its long development cycle: before turning into a beetle that is safe for plants, the worm will damage plantings for 3-5 years.

For the winter, adult click beetles burrow into the soil, and around the beginning of May, females come to the surface to lay eggs (up to 200 pieces per individual). Moreover, masonry is not made in one place, but in small batches over a vast territory. The larvae hatch after 20-25 days and begin to feed actively. Thoroughly perforated root crops, young shoots ruined due to eaten roots (especially salads) - all these are traces of the activity of wireworms.

Fighting methods

You can only deal with the wireworm integrated approach: work on the composition and structure of the soil, mechanical removal of larvae and the beetles themselves. In extreme cases, chemicals are used.

Pest control will be effective if the factors that attract it are eliminated - and this is acidic moist soil and weeds (wheatgrass).

Even neutral problem-free soils tend to acidify. This not only leads to a decrease in yield due to the transition of most needed by plants substances into a form inaccessible to them, but also serves as a favorable environment for the development of the wireworm.

You can identify acidic soil by the following features:

• moss, horsetail, creeping ranunculus, wild sorrel grow;
• beet tops are predominantly red;
• stagnant water after showers has a rusty tint.

A simple method for checking soil acidity at home:

1. put a piece of glass on a dark surface;
2. pour earth on it and pour it with 9% vinegar.

Evaluation of the result: if the surface is abundantly covered with foam - the soil is alkaline, if there is no foam - acidic. A small amount of foam means a neutral reaction.

To get rid of the wireworm, it is necessary to take measures to deoxidize (liming) the soil. For this, the following additions are made.

• Dolomite flour. The average application rate is 0.4 kg per 1 m 2.
• Slaked lime. 0.5 kg per 1 m 2 is applied to highly acidified soil, the norm for medium acidity is 0.3 kg.
• Crushed chalk. Contribute 0.3 kg per 1 m 2.
• Ash (peat and wood). The norm is 0.4 kg per 1 m 2.

It is better to make deoxidizing additives during late autumn digging. This is more favorable for future plantings, and it is also possible to remove wireworms that have hidden for the winter (they are already inactive).

In spring, ammonium sulfate can be introduced into the soil (consumption: 30g / m 2) or ammonium nitrate(consumption: 15 g/m2).

Soil deoxidation measures are not a method of direct and rapid destruction of the wireworm, but create a steady trend towards a progressive decline in its population.

Weed removal

A particularly attractive plant for the wireworm is creeping wheatgrass. This grass is often used as a lawn because it creates a dense turf. If the beds are closely adjacent to the lawn, then it is necessary to take measures to cut off the turf: dig a wide border tape or other material so that the wheatgrass roots do not penetrate the ridge.

In autumn, after digging, it is desirable to leave a clean area. If there are heaps of weeded weeds or leaves in the garden, then adult click beetles use them as a place for wintering, and in spring they will lay their eggs in the soil here.

There are herbs whose roots secrete substances intolerable to the wireworm. These include black beans, green manure (, mustard). With a large population of the pest, the full sowing of planting areas with mustard for the whole season is very effective. Thus, it is possible not only to expel the wireworm, but also to improve the soil, to normalize its acidity. But not all summer residents can afford to keep usable area under green manure, so white mustard can be sown along the perimeter of the beds, in the aisles, and as it grows, cut it with secateurs.

Lures

Along with planting crops unloved by wireworms on small garden you can use traps: cut into large pieces of potatoes. A long beacon stick is stuck into the bait, then the pieces are buried in the soil by about half a shovel. After a few days, the trap should be removed and checked for wireworms.

More troublesome, but very effective method- bait from seeds. You will need several pieces of large-mesh gauze (you can pull the threads) 30 * 30 cm in size (for the wireworm to crawl through). Preparing a mixture of crushed roasted sunflower seeds sunflower (with husk) and any small cereals(in a ratio of 3:1). All this is neatly wrapped in one layer of gauze. Traps are dug in every 5 steps at the rate of 6 pieces per hundred square meters. After 5 days, you can check the baits. With a large population of wireworms, about 30 pieces are stuffed into each.

You should not delay digging up traps, because the wireworm will find them quickly, but it may not linger for a long time. It is better to clean the piece and bury it again.

As baits for adult nutcrackers, you can use small piles of overgrown grass left in the fall. So that in the spring they do not become a source of the next generation of wireworms, they must be removed and destroyed around mid-April. And not just rake, but dig with a small layer of earth.

Many plantings are mulched with cut grass. Such a litter preserves the structure of the soil, moisture, attracts earthworms, but at the same time it is a place where adult click beetles like to gather. No need to give up the mulch, it is enough to periodically raise it in different places and check for the presence of "parents" of the wireworm. At the same time, you can also catch slugs.

Folk remedies

Folk remedies, tested by more than one generation of gardeners, will be a good and safe tool for getting rid of the wireworm.

The classic victim of the pest is the potato. There are several ways to protect the future crop even when tubers are planted.

• Pour ash into the hole, a handful of onion peel, crushed eggshell, moss or a pinch of soda. You can add medium-sized slag (waste after the furnace). There is original recipe: Mix 200 ml of tar thoroughly in a bucket of sawdust, add a tablespoon of this mixture to each well.
• Roll wet potatoes in mustard powder.
• Irrigate the wells with a dark pink manganese solution (2 g/10 L). For too acidic soil, this method is not suitable.

It is possible to remove the wireworm from carrot, onion and beet ridges with the help of periodic loosening and pouring ash.

It will effectively scare away the wireworm by watering the ridges with a solution of ammonia (a tablespoon per 10 liters of water). The ammonia also acts as a nitrogenous fertilizer.

Chemicals

With a large number of wireworms, lack of strength or time for its mechanical extermination, chemical means are used.

In autumn, you can shed the area with formalin solution (0.8%). Consumption is about 2 buckets per 1 m 2.

Preparations for wireworm based on diazinon:

• "Ant-eater";
• "Provotoks";
• "Zemlin";
• "Practitioner";
• "Thunder";
• "Bazudin".

The half-life of diazinon is about 3 weeks, but in fact it is found in the ground even after 3 months, therefore, products based on it should be used with caution.

Emulsion "Prestige" is a disinfectant designed to treat tubers and roots of seedlings from wireworms immediately before planting. The period of decay of toxins is 40 days. You can eat fruits only 2 months after processing the planting material.

"Cut Rofatox from the wireworm" is a modern drug based on the new insecticide fipronil. The half-life is 2-3 weeks, the wireworm and the bear die 3 hours after eating the pellets. The product is claimed to be non-toxic to plants, humans and animals.

You can quickly remove the wireworm in the garden with chemicals, but their effect is limited certain period. Many summer residents note that the pest often returns literally the next season.

When choosing safe means to combat the wireworm, you should pay attention to the drug "Metazidin". Its basis is a special fungus metarizium, which has a detrimental effect on harmful larvae, but does not affect earthworms, mammals, pollinating insects. The etiopathogen multiplies in the root zone of plants, infects the wireworm, kills it and decomposes the remains, saturating the soil nutrients. Also effective drug against Medvedka, Colorado potato beetle, Khrushchev. Maximum effect achieved by watering before the autumn digging of the soil. Until the next season, the fungus will have time to multiply.

Modern biological preparations against wireworm include Nemabakt. It is based on a predatory nematode in symbiosis with a bacterium. Penetrating into the body of the wireworm, the nematode infects it with a deadly microorganism. The product is not dangerous for earthworms and plants.

Folk remedies and proper agricultural technology, coupled with modern biological preparations are not only effective and safe methods fight against wireworm. These measures help to improve the soil, improve its structure and fertility, providing an environmentally friendly harvest. If the basic recommendations are followed, in about 2-3 years, even a large number of wireworms can be reduced to a minimum that is safe for the crop. For 5 years, many get rid of it almost completely, occasionally finding 5-10 pieces per season under a shovel.

It is impossible to take the wireworm out of the garden forever, since even the highest fence is not an obstacle to insects. To secure the crop, you will have to constantly maintain conditions on the site that are unfavorable for larvae and adults.

Wireworm is a problem for many gardeners. The scale of damage from this pest that destroys potato crops is comparable to the Colorado potato beetles. But it is much more difficult to deal with it than with the Colorado potato beetle.

Click beetle and larva

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The wireworm is the larva of the click beetle, it deserves its name due to the hard shell shell. With the onset of heat, in late-mid April, the beetles come to the surface. Habitats: moist, shady areas, especially preferred for cereals and perennial herbs. Wireworms are especially fond of dense plantings and acidic soils.

Please note that the presence of a wireworm significantly increases the risk of creeping wheatgrass, a favorite delicacy of these pests.

1. Having come to the surface, female click beetles lay their eggs to a depth of 1-3 cm.
2. White and smooth eggs are oval in shape and 1-1.5 mm in size.
3. Malicious faces (pictured below) appear from eggs in 2-3 weeks, depending on climatic conditions. Life cycle larvae last 3-4 years.

It is the larvae that cause the main damage to the crop, they live not only in potatoes, but also damage the sown seeds. different cultures, seedlings, roots and underground parts of stems.

Lime flour is an indispensable tool in the arsenal of gardeners

The extent of the damage is visible when cleaning. The wireworm affects on average 50-60% of potato tubers.

Agrotechnics and methods of struggle

If chemical treatment is enough to remove colorados, then removing the wireworm living in potatoes is much more difficult. Consider some of the most effective measures to combat this pest. As a rule, these measures are divided into chemical and agrotechnical.

Chemicals

This method consists in introducing pesticides into the soil. If we are talking about a garden in the country, you should stop using poisons. First, it's expensive. Secondly, any chemistry is harmful, and it will cause environmental harm to the entire site.

If you decide that all methods are good in the fight for the harvest, you can use the following proven tools:

1. A solution of potassium permanganate. A weak solution is introduced into the wells for planting potatoes, at the rate of 10 liters per 20-25 holes.
2. During autumn digging, potassium chloride is added to the soil.
3. Of the finished chemicals, "Initial", "Provotoks", "Zemlin", "Grom-2" and "Bazudin" are used. They are mixed with sand and add 1 teaspoon to each well. The basis of most drugs is diazonin. All ready-made products differ only in the quantitative content of this poison. Most diazonin contains "Bazudin".
4. Lime. In autumn, the area affected by the wireworm is covered with lime (pictured), with warming, the lime, together with melt water, enters the ground, and the wireworm leaves.

Fighting the larva with chemicals is an extreme measure that can be resorted to when industrial scale production.

From sparing chemicals, use ammonium containing nitrogen fertilizers or ammonia water.

However, this tool only reduces the number of larvae; it will not help to completely get rid of the wireworm. It is also unsuitable for use in a small garden. Ammonia solutions must be applied to the soil with mandatory incorporation, otherwise the ammonia will erode.

So you can apply this method only in the fields, if you have the necessary equipment.

Agricultural methods

Agrotechnical methods are more diverse:

1. Digging or dump plowing of the soil. It is produced in late autumn, in mid-late October. The soil is dug up to the entire depth of the arable horizon. Due to this, the larvae are on the surface, where they simply freeze.
2. Weed removal. We are mainly talking about manual harvesting of even the youngest shoots of couch grass and chicken millet.
3. Soil loosening is carried out in May-June. In addition to preventing weeds and moistening the soil, weeding will raise the faces to the surface. Sunlight is detrimental to eggs, so an increase in their number can be prevented.
4. Lures. In late May - early April, last year's stubborn tops, straw, hay or manure are laid out in the beds. All this is moistened, covered with boards and left for a couple of days. After removing the bait, you will see that the larvae have already settled down in the new bait. After removing the grass and boards, they should be burned. It is advisable to carry out such luring several times in a row.

Digging the soil - main way fight

Another way to lure out wireworm larvae is with potatoes and other vegetables.

1. Pieces of beets, potatoes are strung on sticks and added dropwise in shady areas to a depth of 10-15 cm.
2. Such baits are placed before the main planting of potatoes, with a gap of 10 cm.
3. The wireworm slides onto such a bait, and after 3-4 days you can remove the sticks along with the pest.
4. After extraction, the bait must be burned.

Instead of sticks, you can use a long wire with baits strung in pieces. It will be easier and faster to extract.

Planting other crops is a time-consuming but effective method of insect control. Barley, corn or oats can be sown 1.2-2 weeks before planting potatoes. With the advent of the first shoots, they are collected together with beetle larvae.

Seeds of plants that are used for bait can be soaked in the "Regent" solution, this will increase the efficiency several times.

Compliance with crop rotation. For wireworm breeding, a 2-3 full crop rotation is recommended, when part of the territory is allocated for other crops for a year or two. Pests of legumes (peas, beans, soybeans), buckwheat, spring rapeseed are especially afraid.

Correct crop rotation will allow you to achieve excellent results not only in the fight against beetles and other pests. You will get rid of weeds by cultivating the soil and enriching it with mineral, environmentally friendly nitrogen.

In a small garden or a large field, planting crops in rotation will make your harvest rich, healthy and environmentally friendly.

Flowers are the most beautiful means of pest control. marigolds and white mustard help in the fight against larvae.

The most pleasant means of dealing with a worm is marigolds

If the wireworm wound up in your garden, be patient and try to solve the problem agrotechnical methods. None of the above methods solve the problem in one year. But by paying due attention to this problem, you can localize it and gradually solve it, without using aggressive methods that may bring more harm than good.

Preventive measures

The appearance of a wireworm, like many other problems, is easier to prevent than to solve. A few simple precautions will save you from the threat of this pest:

• observe crop rotation;
• remove weeds in time;
• dig and loosen the soil;
• thin out potato beds single plantings of legumes;
• do not thicken the landing;
• to localize the problem, use planting legumes; wireworm affects not only potatoes, it can spread to carrots, radishes and other vegetables;

Before we tell you how to deal with a wireworm in the garden, let's figure out what kind of insect it is, in fact? So, this is how small and large future larvae are called - this is a small worm (2 cm long) of yellow or light brown, godlessly destroying our crop (for example, potatoes).

and habitat

The development cycle of the wireworm lasts for 5 years. In the first year, small light brown larvae appear, in the second and third years they grow, increasing in size, and in the fourth they become pupae. The latter, after 3 weeks, turn into full-fledged click beetles. The fifth year of the life of this pest is marked by the laying of new eggs.

The wireworm in the garden chooses acidic and damp soil, dense plantings and weeds that have not been removed in a timely manner. Cannot stand thickets of legumes: peas, beans, beans.

"Combat" unit

Before we tell you how to deal with wireworm in the garden, I would like to make a small reservation. Remember! Wireworm larvae exist together with pupae and adult beetles! This is a full-fledged "combat unit": small and large larvae, pupae and, in fact, click beetles.

How to get a wireworm out of the garden?

It won't be easy, but it's possible! Remember that the fight against this pest occurs in two ways: agrotechnical and chemical.

How to deal with wireworm in the garden? Agricultural methods

How to deal with wireworm in the garden? Chemical Methods

1. Before sowing root crops and planting potatoes, apply fertilizers containing ammonium to the soil.
2. Water the soil with a weak manganese solution.
3. Use the insecticide "Bazudin" ("Diazinon"). Start with the following dosage: 40 g per square meter soil. This is a great option for dealing with wireworms when the pest has taken over your entire garden.

And finally

Note that chemical methods much simpler than agrotechnical ones, but it is advisable to resort to them only in case due to their toxicity (for example, the drug "Diazinon" is poisonous to humans and animals). That is why, if the number of wireworms in your garden is relatively small, limit yourself to agricultural practices! Good luck!