**Wireworms** are the larvae of click beetles (Family Elateridae). They are tough, hard-bodied, cylindrical soil-dwelling pests. The conflict is **destruction of seeds and root crops**: they are highly polyphagous, boring into and killing germinating **seeds** (corn, wheat, soybeans) and tunneling into the flesh of **root vegetables** (potatoes, carrots) and underground stems, significantly reducing crop stands and marketability. They are a persistent problem in agriculture, especially in minimum-till systems.
Taxonomy and Classification
Wireworms belong to the Order Coleoptera (Beetles). They undergo complete metamorphosis. The larval stage is long-lived, often persisting in the soil for 2 to 6 years.
Physical Description
Larvae are 10 mm to 40 mm long.
- **Adult (Key ID):** The click beetle; dark, hard-shelled, elongated body; they can flip themselves over with an audible “click” when placed on their backs.
- **Larva (Key ID):** Slender, cylindrical, tough, **yellowish-brown body** (resembling a piece of wire); three pairs of short legs near the head; feed primarily underground.
- **Damage ID (Key):** Seed hollowing; clean, deep tunnels bored into the centers of potato tubers, carrots, and other root crops; wilting or missing crop rows (stand reduction).
- **Conflict:** Agricultural.
Distribution and Habitat
Found worldwide. Habitat is agricultural fields, especially those recently converted from pasture or sod, where populations build up over multiple years.
Behavior and Conflict
The conflict is their long life cycle and durability.
- **Longevity:** Their multi-year life cycle means current damage is a result of eggs laid years prior, making short-term crop rotation ineffective.
- **Durability:** Their tough cuticle makes them highly tolerant of environmental changes and some pesticides.
Management and Prevention
Management is **Prevention, Monitoring, and Seed Treatment**.
- Using baited soil traps (e.g., corn seed or potato chunks buried in the soil) before planting to assess population risk.
- Use of preventative **insecticide seed treatments** or in-furrow granular insecticides at planting time.
- Deep tillage in dry weather to expose and kill larvae (less feasible in no-till systems).
Conservation and Research
Research focuses on developing highly localized soil-applied insecticides, breeding crop resistance to tunneling, and using trap crops to aggregate the pest away from cash crops.