wireworms

Click beetle young

Wireworms are the larvae of click beetles—slender, hard-bodied, yellowish-brown grubs that live in soil and damage plant roots, especially crops like potatoes, corn, and wheat.

They're called wireworms because their segmented bodies resemble stiff wire.

Farmers consider them serious agricultural pests since they can remain in the larval stage for several years before maturing.

crops

potatoes

Edible underground tubers

carrotsEdible orange taproots
cornCereal grown on cobs
wheatCereal crop for flour

barley · lettuce · onions · beets · turnips · cereals · tubers · transplants · strawberries · sugarcane

damage

tunneling

Digging underground passages

chewingCrushing food orally
stuntingArresting natural growth
wiltingLosing turgor and drooping

replanting

larvae

instar

Arthropod developmental stage

moltingPeriodic shedding of covering
grubFood or larva
pupaInsect's resting stage

metamorphosis · development · juvenile · segmented · elongated · yellowish · hardened · cylindrical · underground · overwinter

control

scouting

Observing to gather information

thresholdsEntry boundaries or limits
insecticideToxic agent targeting pests
tillageSoil preparation for planting

fallowing · nematodes · monitoring

wireworms

potatoes

tunneling

instar

scouting

wireworms

Opposites

Categories

Family