Your gardening questions answered: How can I get rid of wireworms?

Q: I have just read your article about slugs. I myself have a problem this year with wireworms. Have you any suggestions on how to get rid of them?

A: Don’t worry too much about your wireworms, as the good news is that this is a pest that’s very manageable with time. The larvae of the click beetle (so called because of the strange clicking sound the adult beetle makes as it propels itself into the air when under threat), wireworms are identifiable by their shiny, yellow-orange bodies and the three pairs of legs located just behind their small, brown heads. Most commonly found in freshly cultivated parts of the garden, that were previously badly overgrown or under grass, they can cause a lot of damage in the garden or allotment if they’re present in large numbers. They do this by feeding on roots, young seedling and even stems as well as potatoes (they especially love potatoes), and occasionally other root vegetables such as carrots or swede turnips.

Regular cultivation of the soil combined with good weed control naturally disrupts their life cycle and will reduce numbers over time. However, it usually takes a few years to see the benefits as this larval stage can take up to four or five years before it eventually pupates into the adult beetle.

In the meantime, birds, ground beetles, wasps and hedgehogs are all natural predators of wireworms and they will also help to bring down numbers over time – another good reason to encourage them by gardening organically. Biological control can also be very effective if applied between April and September to moist soil, and when the temperature is between 12C-20C. Different products are available for this purpose including Nemasys Fruit & Veg (mrmiddleton.com). Just make sure to apply it when conditions are suitable, otherwise it won’t be effective

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Another alternative is to use a product called Tercol, a herbal-based soil drench that inhibits the activity of wireworms while simultaneously boosting root development (fruithillfarm.com). For the quickest, most effective control, take a multipronged approach using a combination of the above and you’ll soon gain the upper-hand.