wireworms

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lockman king, NC(Zone 7a) Aug 22, 2007

does any one know an organic control for wireworms in Irish potatoes. THANK FOR YOUR HELP:

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prairefire Metro Kansas City, KS(Zone 5b) Aug 24, 2007

I don't have any experience with the nematode part but my grandfather used the 'bait potato' approach described on Planet Natural's site on his organic farm: http://www.planetnatural.com/site/xdpy/kb/wireworm-control.html

Quoting:
Wireworm Control: Thorough cultivation makes conditions unfavorable to the egg laying adults and exposes all stages of the pest to weather and natural enemies. Potatoes make great wireworm traps. Cut a potato in half and run a stick through the middle. Bury the spud about one inch deep so that the stick stands vertically as a handle. Pull the traps out after a day or two and discard wireworms. Apply beneficial nematodes to attack and destroy pests in the soil.

Tip: If possible, wait until the soil has warmed before planting tubers. Larvae prefer cool soils and dig deeper into the ground when temperatures rise.


Nematodes kill beneficial insects as well as the bad guys so you might want to try less drastic measures first.

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lockman king, NC(Zone 7a) Aug 24, 2007

Prairfire thanks for the info.Great Ideal useing potato for traps.Thanks again

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Texasescimo Argyle, TX(Zone 7b) Apr 25, 2009

Did you try the trap potato? Did you catch any?

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Apr 25, 2009

I've never heard anywhere that beneficial nematodes cause problems with killing good things as well as bad, I think you can feel good about using them. There are a lot of different kinds of nematodes--some species do cause problems, but the beneficial ones are good guys and perfectly fine to have around.

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