WireWorms(Elateridae)Common Name: WireWorms /click beetles.
Latin Name: Elateridae
Appearance:
Wireworm larvae are slender, glossy, jointed, yellow to reddish-brown worms that look like mealworms.
They have a length of 1/4 to 11/2 inches and a width of around 1/8 inch. The ornamentation on the final segment of their bodies distinguishes different species.
Adult wireworms (click beetles) are brown or black “streamlined” beetles with rigid shells that emit a clicking sound when they right themselves after being toppled.
Host plant:
Vegetables (e.g., beans, beets, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, onion, peas, potatoes, and radishes) and herbaceous ornamentals are among the hosts.
Damages caused by WireWorms:
Adults do not harm potatoes, but larvae, sometimes known as wireworms, can cause damage to seed pieces and early root systems during stand formation, resulting in inferior stands. The most prevalent type of damage is small to deep holes in the potatoes produced by wireworms tunneling into the tuber while eating. Wireworms burrow perpendicularly or diagonally to depths of up to 0.5 inches but do not tunnel through the tuber.
Life history and habits:
Females lay their eggs primarily around the grassroots. Adults live for 10 to 12 months, spending most of their time in the soil. While the egg stage lasts only a few days to a few weeks, larval development takes 2 to 6 years in the soil feeding on the roots of grasses and other plants. The larval stage, the wireworm, can cause significant damage. Wireworm larvae travel higher and lower in the soil depending on soil moisture. It is frequently impossible to spot them in dry summer weather, even in badly infected regions. Differences in the ornamentation of the last segment of the abdomen are commonly used to differentiate larvae between species. In the late summer or fall, the larvae pupate in ground cells. Adults can be found in the soil until the following spring. Larvae of all stages and sizes can be found in the soil simultaneously. Serious infestations are typically limited to a single field or sections of a field.
