[Dan78]

Dug out about 40 2nd early potato plants today and have a massive sack of potatoes.. Neatly couldnt carry it!

The plants had died back a couple of weeks ago (strangely as the other 2nd early variety are still growing) but only managed to dig (3hours worth!!) today.

Near enough every potato has what looks like little pin pricks in. I cut one open to find a tiny little maggot thing inside

First question is this wireworm ? How could I have avoided this ?

Second question will it affect my other potatoes ? Ive noticed that a few of the main crop nearby are now looking a little sick (going a little floppy and yellow).

HELP!! Will these become infected ? What should I do now ? I have literally hundreds of plants still in the ground (first, 2nd and maincrop) as my dad went a little overboard with the seed pots!! I would HATE to loose the rest

 :blink:

[Yorkie]

Wireworm is common in land recfently covered in grass.  It decreases over a couple of years and as far as I'm aware there is no control available to the amateur gardener.

I'd suggest you try googling 'wireworm' to see if the pictures match what you've got.

[sunshineband]

Wireworm? Did someone mention wireworm? 

When I got my end of last March I was warned it was badly infested with wireworm (no rent for first year because of it, and jumped up the waiting lits about 20 place too  )

They are the larvae of click beetles, have around a five year life cycle and are hard orangy brown thin grubs around an inch long. They eat holes/tunnels in roots inc potatoes and then sit there munching away.

Advice is:

1. If this is wireworm dig up your spuds as soon as practical to avoid further damage
2. there is no chemical control BUT the best way is to pick out every one you see as you dig, to the point of obsession. (Chickens love 'em -- they are hard to squash  though)
3. Your potatoes may well have trapped most of them already, and so lessened the problem
4. Don't give up -- you will win 

[Salmo]

If you are really lucky the wireworms make small holes and the slugs hollow them out.
Good advice from sunshine.

[TheSpartacat]

I'm anticipating similar wireworm issues in my potatoes. Took on an allotment that was overgrown 20yrs and came across 100s of the little blighters as i dug... (dispatched with each one as i came across them, but bound to have missed quite a few!)

They say sowing mustard as a green manure helps clear the ground of wireworm. The wireworm can't resist it... it interupts their breeding cycle and you pull up the mustard and get rid of the little blighters with it...

Also, wherever you're intending to sow potatoes next year- cut some potatoes in half and spear them with a stick and bury them (the stick is so you can find where you buried them).... you then pull up the potatoes at the end of summer and you're taking the wire worm out too.

If you keep cultivating and trying these green manures and potato lures you should eventually clear the little beasties out.
Won't help this years crop though, but hopefully some will be salvageable?!

[Dan78]

Thanks you all for the replies! My allotment had been grass for about 20 years until I got it in December so sort of explains that!

On closer inspection it seems that most potatos have holes in but these are only a few mm deep and can be cut out! I think maybe the one i cut at the allotment may have had a baby snail crawl into the hole and thats what i saw!

Think I will dig up the rest of the first and 2nd earlies asap and get the main crop out as soon as they look to be dying down!

Thanks again for the advice

[sunshineband]

If you find  any though try Spartacat's suggestion with potato kebabs -- it works well 

Leve them in place about 10 days ideally