How do I process Potatoes before planting so that there is no Wireworm

Wireworm is one of the most harmful insects that affects potatoes. The harm from the wireworm is the same as from the Colorado potato beetle.

But nevertheless, the fight against such pests must be carried out without fail. I will tell you: how to overcome the harmful insect - wireworm.

What is a wireworm? How to deal with it

The wireworm is, in fact, not a large insect, but just a nutcracker beetle larva. It feeds on plant substances. Small larvae do not harm, but already mature ones are dangerous for your potato crop. Not large in size, somewhere within two centimeters of his body, dark in color. The nutcracker beetle larva appears on potatoes from early spring to August.

Wireworms are quite voracious insects. Quite often, they can all be found on potatoes, but they can also be seen on other vegetable crops. They even feed from a ripe seed to a potato tuber, sometimes even plant stems.

Advice! If insects are not controlled, then this can lead to a yield loss of up to 85%.

Signs of the appearance of harmful insects on potatoes

Potatoes are a special delicacy for wire larvae. It is very difficult to see a harmful insect at once. But I'll tell you: by what and how you can recognize them:

Sluggish potato bushes;

· You can find insects when you dig up potatoes early. Young potatoes may have some depressions along which the larvae move well;

· You can notice wire larvae when loosening a potato bed.

Important information! We often confuse the wire larva with the ground beetle insect. The main and distinctive feature is the click of an insect when turning over.

Traditional methods of processing potatoes from dangerous pests that I often use

Folk remedies are the safest and most effective ones. Now, I will tell you a few good potato processing methods that I usually use:

1. I use an egg shell. It is a cheap but good insect control agent. The larvae cannot tolerate this fertilizer. With eggshells, I first process the beds before planting potatoes. You can also use onion or garlic husks.

2. Dandelion or nettle tinctures. In order to treat the potato beds well, I usually dilute about 500 grams of nettle tincture or 200 grams of dandelion in 10 liters of water.

With this consistency of the mixture, it is necessary to process the beds before planting potatoes. And I advise you to do this procedure a week before planting potatoes.

3. Ammonium sulfate can be used. Such a drug is very dangerous for wireworms, as it contains dangerous ammonia.

Advice! Per square meter, you need to use up to about 30 grams of the drug.

4. Potassium permanganate solution is the most effective agent against harmful insects. It can be added to the holes, before planting potatoes, and then the bushes are already processed.

These are the traditional methods I usually use when processing potatoes. They are quite effective and not expensive (every housewife has it on the farm).