Click Beetle Control Services

Are Click Beetles Harmful?

Click beetles themselves are generally not harmful to humans—these beetles don’t bite, sting, or transmit disease—but their larvae, known as wireworms, can cause significant damage, especially in agricultural and garden settings. Here are some of the ways click beetles and their larvae might be considered harmful:

Agricultural Crop Damage

• Wireworms, the larval stage of click beetles, feed on seeds, roots, and underground stems of many crops.
• Commonly affected crops include corn, potatoes, wheat, carrots, and other root vegetables.
• Damage can lead to poor germination, stunted plant growth, and reduced yields.
• In severe infestations, plants may die entirely, which can have a significant economic impact on farmers.

Damage to Turf and Lawns

• Wireworms can infest lawns, golf courses, and turf grass, feeding on grass roots and creating bare patches.
• This weakens the grass, making it more susceptible to disease, drought, and other pests.

Economic Impact

In commercial farming, wireworm infestations can increase costs due to:

• Reduced crop yield
• Need for soil treatments or insecticides
• Replanting expenses if seedlings fail to emerge

Potential Indirect Harm

• By damaging plants, wireworms can make crops more vulnerable to secondary infections by fungi or bacteria.
• They can also attract other pests that feed on weakened plants.

Horticultural and Garden Concerns

• Home gardeners may notice poor germination or holes in root vegetables like carrots and potatoes.
• While not directly dangerous to humans or pets, the damage can be frustrating and affect harvest quality.

The primary harm associated with click beetles comes from their larvae—the wireworms—which are significant agricultural pests affecting crops, turf, and gardens. Adult click beetles themselves are mostly harmless and only a nuisance if found indoors.

Learn more: Do Click Beetles Bite?

Click Beetle Control

Hiring our professional pest control for click beetles—more accurately, for their larvae, wireworms—is highly advisable because controlling them effectively requires expertise, specialized tools, and preventive strategies. Here’s why our professional intervention is often the best approach:

Accurate Identification

• Many beetles look similar, but only certain species’ larvae (wireworms) are harmful to crops and turf.
• Our professionals can correctly identify both adult click beetles and their larvae, ensuring the treatment targets the right pest and avoids unnecessary pesticide use.

Targeted Treatment

• Wireworms live underground, feeding on roots and seeds. DIY methods often fail to reach them effectively.
• Our professionals use soil treatments, baiting systems, or integrated pest management (IPM) techniques that reach larvae where they live.
• This precision minimizes environmental impact and protects beneficial insects.

Preventing Crop and Turf Damage

• Wireworm infestations can significantly damage gardens, lawns, and commercial crops.
• Our professionals assess risk areas, treat affected soil, and implement preventive strategies to protect current and future planting cycles.
• Early intervention reduces losses in yield, plant health, and overall property aesthetics.

Integrated Pest Management Expertise

Effective click beetle control is rarely about one-time spraying. It typically involves:

• Crop rotation or soil management to reduce larvae populations
• Monitoring traps to detect adult beetle activity
• Targeted chemical or biological controls when necessary

Our professionals can design a long-term, sustainable strategy instead of relying on ineffective DIY solutions.

Safety and Compliance

• Many chemical controls require careful handling to avoid harm to humans, pets, or beneficial organisms.
• Our licensed pest control technicians know proper application rates, timing, and safety precautions.

Cost Efficiency Over Time

• DIY attempts often fail, requiring repeated treatments that can be costly.
• Our professionals provide efficient, lasting solutions that reduce the likelihood of recurring infestations and potential crop or turf loss.

Click beetles themselves are mostly harmless, but their larvae—wireworms—can cause serious agricultural and horticultural damage. Our professional pest control ensures proper identification, effective treatment, long-term prevention, and safety, which is difficult to achieve with DIY methods.

Learn more: How To Get Rid Of Click Beetles

What Do Click Beetles Look Like?

Click beetles have a distinctive appearance that makes them recognizable, though their size, color, and markings can vary depending on the species. Here’s a detailed description:

Size

• Typically 6–30 mm (0.25–1.2 inches) long, depending on the species.
• Slender, elongated body shape.

Body Shape

• Narrow, cylindrical or slightly flattened.
• Hard, smooth exoskeleton with well-defined head, thorax, and abdomen.
• Pronotum (the shield-like plate behind the head) is often arched or trapezoidal and may have backward-pointing spines or sharp edges along the sides.

Color

• Usually brown, black, or reddish-brown, though some species have metallic or mottled markings.
• Often fairly uniform in color, which helps them blend into soil, leaf litter, or bark.

Antennae

• Long, thread-like or slightly serrated, usually segmented with 11 segments.
• Positioned on the sides of the head.

Legs

• Six legs, relatively short, suited for crawling.
• Legs are generally not used for jumping; instead, click beetles rely on their unique “click” mechanism for flipping.

Distinctive Click Mechanism

• The underside of the thorax has a spine-and-groove system.
• When threatened or overturned, the beetle can snap this spine into the groove, producing a clicking sound and propelling itself into the air.

This is a hallmark feature distinguishing them from other beetles.

Larval Stage (Wireworms)

• Wireworms are cylindrical, hard-bodied larvae, yellowish-brown, and often 1–5 cm long.
• They live underground and feed on seeds, roots, and underground stems, causing the primary damage associated with click beetles.

Adult click beetles are slender, elongated beetles with a hard exoskeleton, dark brown or black coloring, and a unique clicking ability. Their larvae, wireworms, are pale, segmented, and live in soil, where they cause damage to crops and plants.

Where Are Click Beetles Found?

Click beetles are widespread, but where you encounter them depends on their life stage and species:

Adults

• Vegetation: Most adult click beetles are found on plants, flowers, trees, and shrubs, where they feed on nectar, pollen, or small insects.
• Near lights: Many species are attracted to lights at night, so you may see them around porches, windows, and outdoor lighting.
• Under bark or debris: Some species hide under tree bark, logs, leaf litter, or mulch during the day.
• Gardens and fields: Adults are often present near agricultural fields, lawns, and gardens, since these areas are where they lay eggs.

Larvae (Wireworms)

• Soil: Wireworms live underground, in moist, loose soil, often where there is decaying organic matter.
• Crop fields and gardens: They are most common in corn, potatoes, wheat, and root vegetable fields, feeding on seeds and roots.
• Lawns and turf: Lawns, golf courses, and pastures can harbor wireworms, which feed on grass roots.
• Old or unplowed fields: Areas with long-term grass cover or pastures tend to have higher wireworm populations.

Seasonal Activity

• Spring and summer: Adults are more active during warmer months and are often seen on vegetation.
• Late summer and fall: They lay eggs in the soil, which hatch into wireworms.
• Wireworms: They can live in the soil for 2–5 years depending on species, so infestations may persist even if adult beetles aren’t visible.

You are most likely to encounter adult click beetles on plants, under bark, or near outdoor lights, while their larvae (wireworms), which are the damaging stage, live in soil, gardens, crop fields, and turf. Moist, undisturbed soils with plenty of organic matter are the hotspots for wireworm activity.