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INVESTIGATIONS ON THE CONTROL OF WIREWORMS
Author(s) -
MILES HERBERT W.,
PETHERBRIDGE F. R.
Publication year - 1927
Publication title -
annals of applied biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1744-7348
pISSN - 0003-4746
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7348.1927.tb07017.x
Subject(s) - biology , agronomy , pest analysis , weed , crop , stellaria media , horticulture
Summary. A study of the wireworm problem in Great Britian shows that this pest is especially important in areas devoted to intensive agriculture and commercial horticulture. In addition to most farm crops, strawberries, various flowers and tomatoes me particularly susceptible to wireworm attack and because these crops 60 often occur on new land, losses due to the activities of the pest are frequent, and serious. The nature and extent of wireworm attack, both in the field and in glasshouses, is described herein. Examination of weeds growing in infested fields indicate that wire‐worms are found in numbers at the root of some plants such as couch‐grass, Agropyrum repens , and yarrow, Achillea millifolium , while very few occur at the roots of pants like chickweed, Stelkria media , gout‐weed, Chenopodium album and annual nettle, Urtica urens. Field observations on the movements of wireworms in the soil throughout the autumn, winter and spring indicate that there is a definite downward migration in autumn and an upward migration in spring. Correspondingly wireworm activity in the surface soil was noted to be at its height in September and October, and March, April and May. Expehents on the use of baits as a means of assembling wireworms, indicated that large numbers will collect to baits such as wheat, oats, and bran, and moreover these baits can be used to attract wireworms from the roots of crop plants, on which they are feeding. Because of the seasonal movements of wireworms, baiting is best carried out in autumn or spring. Calcium cyanide in granular form has been found to be highly toxic to wireworms and used, in connection with the baiting, at the rate of 2–3 Ib. per 100 yd. of bait row, destroyed 75–100 per cent. of the wire‐worms assembled. Based on the results of experiments conducted in Lincolnshire, Hertfordshire, and West Sussex, during the years 1925 and 1926, and involving 10,000 wireworms, recommendations are made for the control of wireworms by means of baits and the use of calcium cyanide.