A Preliminary Report on the Control of Wireworms on Truck Crops

During recent years, wireworms have caused much damage to truck crops in the Philadelphia area. Preliminary experiments indicate the possibility of controlling these pests successfully with calcium cyanide used as a soil fumigant. The use of a trap bait in the spring followed by an application of granular calcium cyanide before the crops were planted, gave the most promising results. Summer treatments killed many wireworms, but caused injury to cabbage and celery. Fall treatments were only partly successful, due to the depth of the insects in the soil at this time, their decreased activity, and to other factors.