Effective methods of dealing with the click beetle
The clicker beetle or wireworm, as it is also called, belongs to the group of parasitic insects. In nature, there are about 2500 species that can be found all over the world. Their main habitat is waterlogged soil and thickets. If nothing is done, then in a fairly short time the site will turn into a house for such pests. What a clicker beetle (wireworm) looks like can be seen in the photo below.
Description of the parasite
An adult is capable of reaching two centimeters in length. The tulub is elongated with a rather large head. Wireworms can be black, brown or purple tinged.
The female clicker beetle is capable of laying up to 1500 eggs. For their safety, there are no more than five pieces in each hole. Eggs are laid in spring. It will take five years for each of them to grow into an adult. In the first year of life, young insects are absolutely safe. They begin to eat root crops only from the next season.
Clicker beetle (wireworm) strikes:
- potatoes;
- carrots;
- beets;
- radish;
- Jerusalem artichoke;
- kohlrabi cabbage;
- celery.
Also, this type of insect prefers to feed on juicy shoots of plants and their root system. Clickers also do not disdain some types of weeds. They lay their eggs in their roots.
Marigolds are a good method of dealing with wireworms.
The main reason for the appearance of the parasite on the site is plants that are already infected with this insect. If at least one wireworm beetle has been seen in the garden, you should definitely take up their destruction. Otherwise, most of the crop will simply be spoiled.
Effective ways to fight parasites
Cope with this beetle on the site is quite a difficult task. It is important not only to remove adult insects, but also the larvae, which in a short time will turn into full-fledged pests.
There are several options for dealing with such beetles. Their choice depends on the number of clickers and the preferences of the owner of the garden.
The clicker beetle does not tolerate the cultivation of the land with slaked lime.
The main methods of dealing with click beetles:
- Agrotechnical. This is the most popular and highly effective method. It will take several years to achieve the desired result. In order to once and for all forget about wireworm beetles, it is necessary to dig deep into the garden late in the fall. The larvae that end up at the top will quickly die from too low air temperatures. You should also loosen the soil as often as possible. This will help get rid of the eggs that have been laid that cannot stand the scorching sun.
- Chemicals. The safest and fastest way. Chemical preparations are easy to use and give 100% results. Among the many types of mixtures, the most popular are Aktara, Prestige and Tabu. Preparations are used both for soil cultivation and for spraying root crops before planting.
- Homemade traps. This is a long-standing method of killing various insects.To get rid of the wireworm, dig a hole in the area, fill it with old grass and fill it with water. Cover the dimple on top with plywood or other material. For several days in the middle it will be teeming with beetles. The infected grass will need to be burned. The procedure should be repeated until the clickers are completely destroyed.
Sowing crops such as oats and barley is also a good way to combat click beetles. The seeds should be sown a few days before the main planting. As soon as young seedlings sprout, they will need to be removed. So that the larvae of the wireworm beetle are destroyed faster, the grains must be soaked in insecticides before use. In this case, the insects die during the "tasting".
In order to cope with the beetles as quickly as possible, it is recommended to use several methods of control simultaneously.
For those who do not want to launch such insects on their site, preventive measures should be taken. The first thing to do is to remove weeds in a timely manner and prevent the development of thickets. Also, planting legumes around the perimeter of the beds is a good way of prevention. Do not forget about crop rotation. If you change the location of crops every year, you can be sure that the wireworm will not disturb you.
Knowing who the clicker beetle is, the photo and description of which are presented above, you can start fighting this pest in time. That guarantees the preservation of vegetables and a good harvest.