THE SAND WIREWORM 



In South Carolina the entire life cycle from egg to beetle requires 

 almost exactly 1 year. Seasonally it may be summarized about as 

 follows: June and July, eggs; July to May, wireworms; May and 

 June, pupae; June and July, adults. Figure 2 shows the life stage- of 

 the sand wireworm at various times during the year, together with 

 that portion of the year when the wireworms damage crops. 



How the Wireworm Damages Crops 



Damage by the sand wireworm is caused by the feeding of the lar- 

 vae upon the roots, underground stems, seeds, seed pieces, and tubers 

 of plants. They may bore into a stem, gnaw small pits in the surface 



JAN. 



FEB. MARCH APRIL 



JUNE 



JULY 



AUG. SEPT. 



r:-_.;v^r.; 



II 



111 



i ! 



I II 



H J 



LARVAE 



PUPAE 



I ADULTS 



EGGS 





I ■ 1 1 ■ 



mum 



OCT 



NOV. 



DEC 



w 



LARVAE 



Figure 2. — The life stages of the sand wireworm at various times during; the 

 year at Fairfax, S. C, showing the period when the wireworms (larvae) damage 

 crops. 



of a seed, seed piece, or tuber, or cut off small roots. The injury 

 caused by this insect often kills the germinating seed (fig. 3) of plants 

 such as beans, peas, cotton, and melons, resulting in poor stands of 

 the plants. Injury to corn (fig. 4) is most noticeably a stunting or 

 dwarfing of the plants caused by the cutting off of the feeder roots. 

 The adult, or click beetle, is winged and is a comparatively strong 

 flier. It rasps the leaves and stems of plants and feeds upon the sap 

 which comes from the injured plant tissues. 



Farm Practices that Will Reduce Losses from the Wireworm 



The treatment of soil with chemicals for the control of the sand 

 wireworm is not practical because of the prohibitive cost, but the 

 cultural practices outlined below will serve to Lessen crop losses. 

 In following the cultural practices recommended it must be kept in 

 mind that the crop-planting plans and planting dates are given for 

 South Carolina and that in other sections they may differ. 

 108126°— 42 



