Sorghum Insects

False Wireworms (Tenebrionidae)

False wireworms are the larvae of several species of darkling beetles. These are large, dark-colored, long-legged beetles that run rapidly across bare ground and hide under litter from early spring to late fall. Adults do not fly. Eggs are deposited in loose soil. Larvae are up to 1½ inches long, yellowish-brown, hard-shelled, and feed entirely below ground. As their name would imply, the larvae resemble wireworm larvae. Larvae can be a perennial problem in certain fields, especially where piles of crop residues or discarded bales provide shelter for adults. At this time no chemicals are labeled specifically for false wireworms in sorghum.

More information on false wireworms in Kansas is available here.

Page last updated 10/31/2013 by J.P. Michaud.