UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
FARMERWS 
BULLETIN 
Wasuineton, D. C. 725 Aprit 29, 1916 
Contribution from the Bureau of Entomology, L. O. Howard, Chief. 
WIREWORMS DESTRUCTIVE TO CEREAL AND 
FORAGE CROPS. 
By J. A. Hystop, Entomological Assistant, Cereal and Forage Insect Investigations. 
CONTENTS. 
PMT OCU CHOM Saree oaks ot tomsin seme bees 1 | The corn and cotton wireworm.............- 6 
Kinds of wireworms, and where found ....-. 2 | The dry land wireworm and the inflated 
The wheat wireworm..... SRL ed « 3 WAL W OFM so. e eee es cians = so oa 2 see 7 
ELE CORM: WATO WODMAS ee 2. Sasa yc arom cates eee oe 5 | Natural enemies of wireworms...........-... 10 
The meadow wireworms.....:-........--... 6 | Useless remedial measures ............-2.--- 10 
INTRODUCTION. 
The purpose of this bulletin is to enable farmers to distinguish 
between the different kinds of wireworms, so that they can make use 
of the method shown to be best in the control of each. It is apparent 
from several years of investigations into the habits and life histories 
of wireworms that many of the so-called wireworm remedies are of 
little or no value. Wireworms occur practically everywhere and 
attack a great variety of crops, and the character of the damage pro- 
duced is similar in most cases and usually necessitates a reseeding or 
replanting. 
The species here treated are the wheat wireworm ! of the North- 
eastern and Middle Western States, the corn wireworms 2 of the Middle 
Atlantic and New England States and the Mississippi Valley, the 
meadow wireworms (including the sugar-beet wireworm? and the 
confused wireworm ‘), the corn and cotton wireworm? of the Southern 
States, and the dry-land wireworm ° and inflated wireworm? of the 
dry-farming region of the Northwest and the wheat regions of the 
Northern Middle West. 
1 Agriotes mancus Say. 5 Horistonotus uhlerit Horn. 
2 Melanotus communis Gyll. and other species of Melanotus. 6 Corymbites noxius Hyslop. 
3 Limonius californicus Mann. 7 Corymbites inflatus Say. 
4 Limonius confusus LeC. 
30615°—Bull. 725—16 
