ALTERNATIVE METHODS FOR CONTROLLING WIREWORMS (Coleoptera, Elateridae) IN THE FIELDS

Wireworms, the larvae of the click beetles (Coleoptera: Elateridae), have a large economic impact in food and fodder production in Slovenia, other European countries, as well as in other continents. Because of proved negative effects of synthetic insecticides, alternative methods for cotrolling wireworms are not only studied but also used in common practice. Among the methods mentioned biofumigation is more and more commonly used as alternative to synthetic fumigants. In the process of biofumigation the Brassicas can be incorporated into the soil in different ways; one of the most effective way is the use of Brassicaceous seed meals, since the concentration of the glucosinolates are the highest in the seeds. With the use of crop rotation and trap crops we exploit the plant secretions, which have the ability (allelopatic etc.) to diminish the vitality of the wireworms or to repel them from the main crops. Trap crops and cover crops protect the soil against erosion and they also diminish the economic impact of weeds. Flooding of the fields is often pretentious measure, owing to necessity of water access; time interval of flooding and water temperature are important factors of this alternative method. In other European countries the number of registered synthetic insecticides against the wireworms is higher compared to Slovenia, where only tefluthrin and entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana are registered for the same purpose, therefore we would like to present different alternatives to insecticies to our readers and also to food and fodder producers. In this article 10 alternative methods, which showed the efficacy in diminishing the economic importance of wireworms in different parts of the world, are presented. At least some of them have a potential to become a part of sustainable strategies for controlling wireworms in Slovenia.