Wireworms cause a lot of damage to a large number of crops , especially corn, grains that are small and especially for most of the grasses that are cultivated and wild.
Among the crops that receive the most damage we can mention soybeans, potatoes, all tuber plantations, cabbage and also green beans. Because of their germination rate and ability to withstand loss from attacks by soybeans and grains that are small, more serious damage occurs infrequently in corn.
Index
- 1 Characteristics of the wireworm
- 2 Remedies to keep control of wireworms
Wireworm Characteristics
These larvae, which are generally known as worms , have a fairly hard, fine body, with a shape similar to that of a cylinder and are brightly colored with shades ranging from yellow to brown.
It has three small legs located at the back of its head and the last division of its body is cut off.
Certain species of these worms are soft and also have a white color
or can also be yellowish. These larvae are generally identified from other species by certain inequalities in the ornamentation of the last division of the abdomen.In their adult stage, they are beetles that have a shape similar to that of a bullet , with a slender body and with a color that is light tan or black. The joint that it has between the thorax and the abdomen is loose and at the same time flexible, if we place these beetles on their backs, they hit their abdomen against the ground to shake for a moment and thus turn around.
In nature, a large number of species of wireworms can be found that destroy crops that are cultivated, but in their biology they are quite similar.
These insects spend the winter in stages made up of larvae and in the first months of spring, the adults, which are generally known as agriote , are much more active and the females are in charge of laying eggs around the roots. of the plants.
Adults have a lifespan of around 10 to 12 months and spend most of their time on the ground.
While the larval stage only lasts a few days to a few weeks, it takes about 2-6 years in which they feed on the roots of grasses and a wide variety of other plants for them to grow and thrive. complete their larval stage.
Remedies to maintain control of wireworms
We can apply a large number of measures to maintain control of this pest and in turn to eliminate it , of all these we can mention the following:
Crop rotation: By this we mean planting plants that are less desirable and then planting crops that are more vulnerable.
Solarization: we add manure, moisten it with water and cover the entire field with a dark-colored plastic, which will cause the heat of fermentation to eliminate the worms.
Fallow: we have to leave the land without planting for at least a few months during the summer, letting the heat be what is responsible for eliminating the worms.
Plow the land: we have to try to plow the land in order to expose the worms to the sun.
Besides we can also:
- Place traps that have pheromones and food baits.
- We can add agricultural lime since this is not to your liking.
- Maintain weed control.
