|
Post by binnylou on Oct 12, 2021 10:24:51 GMT -5
We’ve had a wood chip pile for several years that is now mostly broken down with very few pieces of wood remaining. Hubby moved some of it to a raised bed that was needing topped off. When leveling the soil by gloved hands, I found grubs (possibly 15 of the ugly little critters) and a few wire worms.
I've read about using a cut potato on a stick, buried to trap wire worms. Does this really work? Is this a method that works as the days grow cooler?
I told hubby the remaining composted pile needs to be leveled off a bit to make it easier for the critters and turkeys to harvest the grubs.
as for the grubs found in the raised bed, a brick worked just fine🤭
|
|
|
Post by gardendmpls on Oct 12, 2021 11:12:09 GMT -5
This is why I keep a cut off milk jug nearby while turning compost. Get a gallon of grubs for the chickens when they need the protein the most, at moulting time.
|
|
|
Post by binnylou on Oct 12, 2021 11:56:58 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by desertwoman on Oct 13, 2021 9:22:44 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by binnylou on Oct 13, 2021 9:35:26 GMT -5
The turkeys have access to the composted mulch and see them in the area almost every day. They don’t bother the veggie garden…electric fence in place. And I’m assuming that turkeys would enjoy a grub or two.
|
|
|
Post by binnylou on Oct 20, 2021 21:58:02 GMT -5
Well, I buried four cut potatoes on a stick in the raised bed, gave them a few days, dug them up and found no wireworms. Either this method is a hoax, I’m impatient, or I only had a few worms and they don’t like raw potatoes.
I’ll give it a few more days. Then I’ll put that raised bed away, all tucked in for the winter.
|
|
|
Post by emmsmommy on Mar 3, 2022 10:00:36 GMT -5
binnylou, did you ever catch any of the wireworms? I incorporated some well rotted wood in a couple of my beds when I couldn't get out to buy soil during the lock down. I unknowingly incorporated them into my beds and have been crushing or drowning them when I find them. I seem to remember reading an article or watching a video that suggested using a carrot to catch them.
|
|
|
Post by binnylou on Mar 3, 2022 10:51:05 GMT -5
No, the potatoes were without worm activity when I removed them from the raised bed.
|
|
|
Post by madamezil on Mar 3, 2022 18:11:03 GMT -5
The only time we had a problem with wireworms was when we converted lawn to garden. The wireworms are larvae of the click beetle who lay them in the grass.
As I recall, it took a couple of years to totally get rid of them. The only things that worked were the "Pincers of Death" aka fingers. Tried the carrots and potatoes-didn't work.
|
|