Diseases and Pests of Garlic 8/12 Wireworms
Wireworms are the larvae of the click beetle living in the soil for 2 to 6 years before becoming a beetle. They are phytophagous, i.e., feeding on plants such as—but not exclusively—garlic, but also carnivorous and even cannibalistic. Extensive root damage will cause a plant to wither or at least stunt its growth. Frequently, wireworms bore their way into the outer layers of a bulb leaving an unattractive but not contagious mark that can often be removed by peeling off a few layers.
Cloves affected by wireworm bites are usually still viable seed garlic unless the flesh has been compromised allowing other diseases such as fungi to take a hold. You will not usually find the wireworm itself in mature garlic as it returns back deeper into the soil before harvest time.
Most farmers don’t experience high enough populations of wireworm to see significant damage to the crop, but things can get out of control without your realizing it. Basic practices to prevent wireworm build-up in the soil:
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Cover Crops: Brown mustard produces a bio-fumigant in its roots that deters wireworms and perhaps even kills them. Including brown mustard in your regular crop rotation is a good practice. Buckwheat also seems to drive populations of wireworm down in the soil.
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Trap Crops: If wireworms are present but not in huge numbers, you can plant a trap crop in the aisle between your garlic beds to lure them away from the garlic. Radish works well, or even wheat. Plant your bait crop in a straight line right down the middle of the aisle with seeds very close together. Once the bait crop is mature, check it for wireworms and then harvest the entire crop, including the wireworms! Potatoes also make great wireworm traps. Cut a potato in half and run a stick through the middle. Bury the spud about one inch deep so that the stick stands vertically as a handle. Pull the traps out after a day or two and discard wireworms.
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