The soil pests include: wireworms, grubs and agriculture, which, by feeding in the soil, destroy underground plant organs. They can also feed on young roots of freshly planted tomatoes and ornamental plants and even grass, damaging them.
Wireworms are the larvae of the beetles from the Elateridae family. They have an elongated, slightly flattened shape and their body is coppery-brown.Bite into roots or bulbs, creating corridors in them.Bacteria and fungi penetrate through them, causing premature rotting of parts of plants.
The grubs are the larvae of the May cockchafer and smaller beetles known from mass flights in June. They feed on roots and tubers of, for example, potatoes. Like wireworms, they facilitate the penetration of bacteria and fungi into damaged tissues.The development period of the grub takes 3-4 years, depending on the species.During this time the larva feeds in the soil.
Agriculture is the last of the described dangerous soil pests. Younger larvae come to the surface of the soil at night, eating leaf blades and young shoots.On the other hand, older ones forage on the underground organs of the plant, gnawing holes in the tubers and eating the roots.The control of soil pests is limited only to frequent loosening of the soil.
