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Wireworm Control Needed in Some Kentucky
Fields
By
Laura Skillman
SONORA, Ky., (Sept. 20, 2006) – Wireworms plague many central
Kentucky cornfields causing an uneven stand and skips in the
field where seeds and plants have been killed.
“We’ve been having increasing problems with wireworms for the
past four or five years,” said Ric Bessin, University of
Kentucky College of Agriculture entomologist. “We’re not sure if
this is just a long-term cycle or if it is one that will be
around for awhile. We are trying to come up with a way to manage
wireworms as economically and effectively as possible.”
For the past three years, Bessin has been researching the best
options for farmers to prevent having wireworms damage their
crops. Wireworms, the larvae of certain beetle species, live in
the soil and feed on germinating seeds and young seedlings. In
some cases, stand loss can exceed 50 percent.
“Once you start to see you have a problem in the field there’s
really nothing you can do about it with that stand of corn,” he
said. “Your only choice is whether or not to replant, and it
actually takes a pretty substantial yield loss to warrant
replanting. It’s on the order of a third of a stand lost before
it’s economical.”
When managing for wireworms, using preventative controls at
planting are the only real resolutions. Control options include
seed treatments, granular insecticides and liquid insecticides
applied to the soil at planting.
“We have some pretty good tools,” Bessin said. “One thing to
keep in mind is that wireworms have a long life cycle (multiple
years) so you could be fighting the same ones year after year.
So if you had a problem with wireworms in 2006, that’s a real
indication that you need to watch that field in 2007. History is
very important when it comes to wireworms.
These pests can cause extreme stand loss and stunting. If a corn
grower suspects there’s a problem, they need to sample those
fields and dig up some seed kernels. If they have small holes in
them or at base of a seedling, that’s excellent evidence of
wireworm damage.
Wireworms problems used to seen primarily when sod fields were
first planted with corn. Today, though, the problems are being
found more in no-till fields in corn-soybean rotation.
Also, people are trying to get corn into ground earlier in the
spring because they are planting more acres and because of
concern about moisture later in the growing season.
“People need to think about wireworm management and some of
these early planting dates,” he said. “Make sure the soil
temperature warrants planting so we can get the seedlings up out
of the ground quickly. Where you have faster germination and
seedling growth, you have less opportunity for wireworm attack.
Seeding problem fields early is a recipe for disaster with
wireworms.”
Seedling vigor is important. Farmers need to use varieties with
good seedling vigor in problem fields. Field history is very
important.
Evaluating risk is difficult, Bessin said. UK recommends using
bait traps which are basically eight-by-eight-by-eight holes dug
into the field with wheat-corn mixture placed in them and
covered with black plastic a couple of weeks before planting.
The worms don’t move much in the soil, so a grower should have
at least 10 holes per field. A few days before planting check to
see if there are any wireworms in the trap. If one worm is found
per hole, some type of control measure is needed.
“My expectation is with some fields in this area you are going
to have a whole lot more than one worm per hole,” he said. “You
may see 10 to 15 or more in some of these high pressure fields.
“One problem as people try to plant earlier and earlier each
year, there is less time to put out these traps and let them
warm up enough for the wireworms to get in there,” he said. |
Contact: Ric Bessin, 859-257-7456 |
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The UK College
of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission, reaches across
the commonwealth with teaching, research and extension
to enhance the lives of Kentuckians. |
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Copyright © 2001-2006 University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture,
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