My Garden Beets Have Worms
Armyworms, beet webworms and wireworms can devastate a beet crop. Armyworms and beet webworms feed on the foliage while wireworms feed on the roots. Does this Spark an idea?
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Foliage Feeders
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Armyworms and beet webworms hide inside web nests that they build among beet leaves. Beet webworms are primarily a problem in the western half of the country.
Foliage Feeder Controls
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Remove egg masses, webs and worms by hand. Look in foliage crevices where the worms like to hide. Use commercial traps to capture adult moths and prevent them from laying eggs. Sprays made from kaolin also prevent egg laying. Sprays that contain Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), spinosad or neem are effective.
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Wireworms
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Wireworms are the larvae of click beetles. Adult beetles like to lay their eggs among grass roots, ensuring a good meal for emerging larvae. Wireworms build up in the soil under sod, and when the sod is stripped off to start a new vegetable garden, the soil may be full of wireworms. To test the soil, bury chunks of potato 2 to 4 inches deep. Dig them up after a week and check for wireworms.
Wireworm Controls
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There are no effective insecticides for use against wireworms in the home garden, as of 2010. Beneficial nematodes help reduce populations. Use chunks of potatoes as a trap. Skewer them with a stick to make them easier to find in a week when you dig them up. Turn the soil in fall to expose wireworms to weather and predators.
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References
- Photo Credit Brian Klutch/Lifesize/Getty Images
