Potato pests

robert.j.mccarthy · April 2022

Hello,

I hope you are all well and safe. This is my first post. I'm in my 2nd year on my allotment, and I'm new to "allotmenting". I am 37 now, and started just over 24 months ago.

I was hoping the forum could help.

My allotment is in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. I've had good crops of potatoes for the last 2 seasons, both earlies and mains.

However, each year I have had a pest who eat, put holes and lay their little critters within the holes of the potatoes.

The are little yellow/orange critters, about 5-9cm long and about 2-3mm wide. They have lots of legs, and don't grow much bigger than this

I'll try attach a photo, it also shows the holes they create.

Does anyone know what they are, and have any advice to keep them away?

The local chaps on the allotment mentioned they could be 'eel worms' but I cannot find anything online that matches.

I'll paste the picture below,

Many thanks
Rob

Dovefromabove · April 2022

Your picture shows a snake centipede … they are not really pests of potatoes and they are usually regarded as the gardeners friend. However they are often mistakenly called wire worms as they are sometimes found in holes in potatoes made by wire worms … the larvae of the click beetle. Wireworms are real pests of potatoes and are common in land that was previously grassland or left fallow for a while. Chickens love them and back in the day were often used to clear land that had been freshly cultivated before planting with potatoes.

More info here

https://www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/wireworms

Small slugs that live underground will also do that sort of damage to potatoes.

There are potato varieties that are ‘wireworm resistant’.

robert.j.mccarthy · April 2022

Hello,

Thank you! I'll have a good read up, I really appreciate your reply.

My potatoes look the same as on the link, so fingers crossed we found the culprits.

Have a great day,
Rob

Dovefromabove · April 2022

And you too Rob. Good luck 🤞

Potato pests

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