Potato Pest

[The Fenster]

Finding these critters in nearly every seed potato I scrat out to have a look at , usually 3 or 4 per potato burrowing in. Anyone know what they are and should I be worried ? I mean more worried than any potato growers constantly Is.
Many thanks

 

[herman]

Look like wireworm to me

 

[chipchap]

It’s all over before it has even begun?

 

[herman]

Is the land recently out of grass by any chance ?

 

[Ugo79]

Definitely wireworm..... did you use any Nemathorin?

 

[The Fenster]

Not recently out of grass as far as I know, atleast not been grass for 4 years minimum, has been heavily mucked twice though , could that be related.
Didn't use nemathorin
That it for the crop then ?

 

[Farmer-George]

Wireworm in large quantities will make your crop virtually unmarketable. Real pain to grade out of the crop, slugs are bad enough! What population have you got?

 

[Bigjon44]

If its only a seed crop then should be fine but you will always get wireworm after grass

 

[Ruston3w]

Would it be possible to place nematicide into the ridges and re-ridge??

 

[Lincs Lass]

The good old days of Temik and Telome ,that stopped them before they had chance to start

 

[Breakthru]

The good old days of Temik and Telome ,that stopped them before they had chance to start

Garlic salacillic acid (aspirin) mix does wireworm and leatherjackets coming out of grass but would need rain or irrigation to get it down to the tuber area with only a guess as to the effect of the dilution in so much soil.

 

[MikeNeaverson]

I have no experience of them in that quantity but my only comment would be to lift very early (green top ideally). If I ever have a wireworm problem it always seems to come in late.