WIREWORM (Click Beetle)

FRIEND or FOE SERIES

Foe!

You might have played with this harmless beetle as a kid: turning it upside down so that it would flip itself back onto its feet with a click. 

But its offspring, wireworms, are nasty foes!

Overwintering beetles lay their eggs in late spring. Larvae (wireworms) can take up to 3-6 years to develop into adults; wreaking havoc all those years, boring holes into tubers such as potatoes or corms such as dahlias, but also large seeds such as corn, peas and beans, and even into crowns of lettuce.

What to do? 

Don’t grow fall rye as a cover as it attracts click beetles. Instead of cover crops use compost to increase organic matter. Keep empty garden beds weed free. Delay planting tubers until the soil is warm. Start dahlias in pots and transplant later. Make traps by skewering chunks of potatoes and carrots and burying them 6-8 cm deep. Pull them up every few days and drop the wireworms in soapy water or put them in your bird feeder.  

Images:   Wireworm: McKee Beshers; Click Beetle: Katja Schultz – Wiki Commons

Sources: 
Gilkeson, Linda. Natural Insect, Weed & Disease Control, 2013. www.lindagilkeson.ca

Mulvihill, S. The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook, 2021. www.susansinthegarden.com