Adults are brownish or even blackish in color, elongate and tapering toward each end but more so toward the rear. Females deposit eggs in the soil among grass roots. When the eggs hatch the larvae feed on the roots of wheat, corn and other grasses. The larvae mature in from two to five years. Fully developed larvae, form pupation chambers in the soil and pupate.
Adults emerge from the pupae and remain in the soil until the following spring.
Plant Response and Damage Wireworms are found around the roots of wheat plants. Young wheat plants killed in irregular areas of the field is characteristic damage. This damage usually occurs in the fall and occasionally in the spring. No applied biological control practices exist for control of wireworms. Cultural Control Clean summer fallow, fall tillage to crush pupae, and flooding to kill larvae are some examples of cultural practices.