If your 'up North' or in Scotland watch for leatherjackets

[Macsky]

Where, I wonder, have all the lapwing gone; don't they eat loads of wire worms/leather jackets?

They’ve been decimated by predation, and all the habitat management in the world won’t make a spit of a difference until that problem is dealt with.

 

[Christoph1945]

They’ve been decimated by predation, and all the habitat management in the world won’t make a spit of a difference until that problem is dealt with.

Earlier this year I chatted with an old ploughman and he said that he had never seen so many badgers in his area and thought that they were probably predating ground nesting birds and perhaps that could account for the reduction of lapwings in his area of North East Wales.

 

[neilo]

Earlier this year I chatted with an old ploughman and he said that he had never seen so many badgers in his area and thought that they were probably predating ground nesting birds and perhaps that could account for the reduction of lapwings in his area of North East Wales.

‘probably’?

Badgers, and escalating numbers of raptors, are opportunists. They will take whatever is the easiest prey, be that ground nesting birds, levrets, bee’s nests or newborn lambs.

There’s a very good reason why numbers have always been controlled at manageable levels by those in rural areas.

 

[neilo]

Getting back to the topic though….I can’t think that lapwings, or any other birds, would make much of a difference to wireworm or leatherjacket populations unless those grubs are exposed to them by cultivation. Regularly scratting it over, with hordes of rooks hoovering up the grubs, might reduce numbers somewhat, but flies in the face of maintaining soil Carbon by reducing cultivations.

 

[Hilly]

Mild winter ? Nothing mild about last winter , must be another cause .

 

[neilo]

Mild winter ? Nothing mild about last winter , must be another cause .

Thread was started in 2014, but resurrected by someone looking to sell a product….

 

[Macsky]

Mild winter ? Nothing mild about last winter , must be another cause .

Exactly what I thought til I looked at the date

 

[Breakthru]

What do folk use now .

There are numerous threads are all on the same subject. I have access to a unique product Greenland which is a mix of Garlic and Salicylic acid (aspirin).
Crop Tonic??? effective against leatherjackets, slugs and wireworm. Also when used in the evening when CSFB active gives 7 days cover.
£100/5ltr 1.0ltr/ha. Worked so far from Orkney to S. Wales. CSFB 0.5ltr/ha.
There is an alternative to Dursban it just doesn't have a fancy brochure and a ream of data just people on TFF etc who have tried it and been successful.
We have used it for many years on organic farms where Dursban was not an option.

 

[Breakthru]

Thread was started in 2014, but resurrected by someone looking to sell a product….

Don't think it was me. The hassle of sending out small quantities is hardly worth the hassle so I don't do it for the money. For a large farmer losing 5 or 10 acres is a pain in the #ss for a small farmer losing that is a disaster. I can assure you the thank you and occasional picture of a successful crop is worth as much if not more than the small profit. The comparison is selling a pallet of product at over £10k. Same emails and phone calls so while my middle name is not samaritan I am offering a cure at not a lot of cost.

 

[Breakthru]

Earlier this year I chatted with an old ploughman and he said that he had never seen so many badgers in his area and thought that they were probably predating ground nesting birds and perhaps that could account for the reduction of lapwings in his area of North East Wales.

Fairly easy to keep them outside you boundaries. Will PM you.

 

[Princess Pooper]

Getting back to the topic though….I can’t think that lapwings, or any other birds, would make much of a difference to wireworm or leatherjacket populations unless those grubs are exposed to them by cultivation. Regularly scratting it over, with hordes of rooks hoovering up the grubs, might reduce numbers somewhat, but flies in the face of maintaining soil Carbon by reducing cultivations.

One of our silage aftermaths was covered in jackdaws for several days after clearing, I assume they were after leatherjackets or similar; no cultivation.

 

[Bogweevil]

There are numerous threads are all on the same subject. I have access to a unique product Greenland which is a mix of Garlic and Salicylic acid (aspirin).
Crop Tonic??? effective against leatherjackets, slugs and wireworm. Also when used in the evening when CSFB active gives 7 days cover.
£100/5ltr 1.0ltr/ha. Worked so far from Orkney to S. Wales. CSFB 0.5ltr/ha.
There is an alternative to Dursban it just doesn't have a fancy brochure and a ream of data just people on TFF etc who have tried it and been successful.
We have used it for many years on organic farms where Dursban was not an option.

Got any independent research reports?

 

[Breakthru]

Got any independent research reports?

No but there are plenty on here who have used and are using it but don't post.

 

[Bogweevil]

No but there are plenty on here who have used and are using it but don't post.

Not quite the same thing - looking forward to your independent research results in due course.

 

[Breakthru]

Not quite the same thing - looking forward to your independent research results in due course.

Identical product in CRD ( for years) so data will eventually come out??
The problem for you is that there is no alternative so while you are waiting you will lose crops.

 

[Banj0Bolt]

I give my land a fast roll with an empty land roller in October. It helps control the leather jackets as it seals off their air tunnels. I still have some dursban but don't need it atm

 

[Breakthru]

I give my land a fast roll with an empty land roller in October. It helps control the leather jackets as it seals off their air tunnels. I still have some dursban but don't need it atm

shouldn't really admit that by the way! Like my cure for badgers.