Wireworms are the larval stage of click beetles. The most common species causing harm to cultivated crops belong to the genus Agriotes, and include Agriotes obscurus, Agriotes ustulatus, Agriotes lineatus, Agriotes sputator, and Agriotes sordidus.
How can you identify click beetles and wireworms?
Click beetles have a flat, elongated-shaped body, often with a tapered abdomen, and grow to about 8 to 10 mm in length.
Wireworms get their name from their long and thin (wire-like) shape. They are yellow to yellow brown in colour, and have a hard external shell, and a distinct, dark brown head. Wireworms typically grow from less than 2 mm to 2.5–3 cm. The abdominal segment is usually pointed (genus Agriotes), or – less commonly – darker in colour, with a caudal notch (genus Agrypnus, Selatosomus). Wireworms typically burrow into potato tubers, making tunnels, often with suberised surfaces, up to 3 mm in diameter, with clean entry holes. Bore holes made by wireworms can also be seen in beets and thick plant roots. The larvae operate within a radius of about 6 m.
