Ukrainian farmers are desperate - their land is actively attacked by a well-known pest, the so-called artisan beetle. The larvae of this “garden invader” do not leave potato crops a chance for a good harvest.“Most often, artisans can be found in areas with acidic soils,” say the farmers. “If wheatgrass weed or perennial grass grows on such lands, the chances of meeting a wireworm are increased.”

The end of spring - the beginning of summer - an active "marriage" time for artisan beetles. As a result, the female literally fills the clods of the earth with her larvae, which are kept in small groups of up to 200 larvae.

Hatching from eggs, wireworm larvae begin to intensively attack the roots and tubers of potatoes, which can be called their favorite dish. The potato in which the wireworms arranged a “banquet” is subsequently unsuitable for the manufacture of chips and other products. You can’t eat tubers spoiled by "artisans".

The frequency with which wireworms are found in gardens is up to eight larvae per square meter. The level of damage to potato tubers is up to 98%.

“Most often, beds of potatoes on sandy soils become victims of wireworms - in such an environment, larvae are more convenient to move from bush to bush, unlike chernozem soils,” the farmers say. Dealing with the roots and stems of young potato bushes, the larvae finally destroy the plant. Fighting such pests, according to farmers, is extremely difficult.