How to get rid of wire worms

by Corrie
(Granite Falls,Wa)

I recently found some little golden worms about 1 inch. They almost look like a centipede with very little if any legs. They seemed to enjoy my peas seeds (also root crops). I had called the Master Gardeners Assoc and described them, they said they were wire worms. They are the larvae of the "click beetle", (of which I have never seen, nor heard of). They said that the old remedy was some poison that they would mix in the dirt. That has since been outlawed and taken off the market. I wouldn't want that stuff in my dirt anyway. Has anyone else heard of them, had them, or knows how to get rid of wire worms? Thank you in advance.
Corrie Kennedy

Comments for How to get rid of wire worms

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Jun 23, 2011
 Wire Worms
by: Kiwi George

Hi Corrie. yep, I have had the many legged beasties too but not very many so when I an cultivate my beds I use the "Green Finger", sorry that one is for Aphids, "Gold Finger" cure and squash them. If you have a bad infestation, planting a green manure crop of mustard usually kills them off.
Happy squashing
George
Jun 29, 2011
 Controlling wireworms
by: Gardenlove

They are the click beetle larval stage and favor roots and tubers especially potatoes. Hatching time is around spring on. Most gardens have some wireworms of some sort. If a big infestation, it pays to delay planting and when the beetles eggs hatch out into larvae, rake over the top mulch and soil to expose them to birds. Or pick them off yourself, and also the beetles later.

Pine needles with their acidity deter wireworms, and some gardener’s swear by burying comfrey leaves in the ground when planting.
Mar 05, 2012
 wire worms
by: garden sue

My husband and I put in our first veggie garden in our new home last spring. We are southwest nova scotia, and I just moved from BC. As the ground is so very rocky, we bought soil that came from an old pastureland, and created a garden, above the rocks.
I planted everything by end of march, and at first things were wonderful, however as the growing season went on, the plants were faltering horribly.
We could not determine the problem until I pulled up the potatoes, and pretty much all of them were full of the wire worms!!!! It was horrible. So all winter I have been trying to find out how to control them, and it seems the only way is to rake the soil over frequently in early spring to expose the wire worms so the birds can feed off them, and plant later after all the larvae have completed that part of their life cycle.
Also, we will try to put some bait traps, of potatoes buried in various areas of the garden, that have a stick through them, and pull them up once a week, and dispose of the worms that way.
I am really nervous at how things will grow this year, and if anyone else has any other suggestions, I would love to hear them!
garden sue from nova scotia
Jul 13, 2016
 Wireworm
by: Anonymous

Hi I've always been told to dig or motivate soot in to your pacth the wireworms don't like it and do one

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