[doug hutch]

i have a plot that has nt been cultivated for 12 years will wire worms be a problem ? and how do you treat  them

[engineer]

If the plot has turned over to grassland then you may have a problem, as far as i am aware they only effect potatoes when planted in virgin grassland, however look here for some tips

http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/wireworm.htm

you will only know if they are resident once you start digging

[mattwragg94]

ive just done abit of research for you as i dont know anyhting about wireworms, but what i found was that wireworms stay active in the soil for about 3-6 years and then they turn into a beetle. you need to turn over your soil to see whether you can see any wireworns, they look lik meal worms, if they are present remove as many as you can by hand, then you need to lay traps, you can do this by burying chunks of potato a couple of inches below the soil level, you need to check your traps regularly and if wireworms are present you need to discard the trap and put another trap in place, ths may take some time, but its the only method that ive found.

however as your soil hasn't been used for 12 years i dont think wireworm should be there!

hope that helped,
matt