Wireworm Flashcards
Wire worm the larvae of?
The click beetle
Where do wireworm live
Soil dwelling and are robust and adaptable
What are wireworms a pest of
Potato and seen in cereals and other root veg
What are the 3 main species of click beetle ?
- Lined click beetle
- Common click beetle
- Agriotes click beetle
Where is the lined click beetle dominant
Midlands and southwest
Where is the common click beetle most dominant
North and west
Where is the agriotes click beetle most dominant
Midlands, southwest and east
How do you differentiate the species
By the wireworm
Other wireworm species ?
Can impact on potato production but their economic importance is minor
3 reasons of importance
- Not allowed to use persistent soil insecticides.
- Zero damage tolerance in potato industry
- Difficult to monitor and predict damage- invest energy into wireworm and not OWBM
What damage is caused in potatoes ?
Larvae burrow on, even low populations can cause significant reductions in crop marketability for potatoes and root veg
What damage is caused in cereals
Stunted growth and limited water and nutrient uptake
What’s the problem with damage in potatoes
The marketability to consumers- strict regulations on how potatoes should look for retail
Identification of wireworm
Newly hatched are transparent to white, then go browny orange
Identification of click beetle
Adults are dark brown to black
