Click Beetle

Natural Habitat

Found in various habitats including forests, grasslands, gardens, and agricultural fields. Larvae (wireworms) live in soil, rotting wood, or under bark.

Diet & Feeding

Adult click beetles generally feed on nectar, pollen, sap, or sometimes soft-bodied insects. Larvae (wireworms) can be herbivorous, feeding on plant roots, seeds, and tubers, or carnivorous, preying on other soil insects.

Behavior Patterns

Adults are recognized by their unique 'clicking' mechanism; when overturned, they can snap a spine on their prosternum into a groove on their mesosternum, propelling themselves into the air to right themselves. They are typically nocturnal or crepuscular. Larvae are known as 'wireworms' due to their hard, elongated bodies.

Risks & Benefits

Risks: Wireworms (larvae) can be agricultural pests, damaging crops like corn, potatoes, and other vegetables by feeding on their roots and seeds. Benefits: Some click beetle larvae are predatory and can help control populations of other soil-dwelling insect pests. Adults are often harmless to humans and can be minor pollinators or a food source for other animals.

Identified on: 10/2/2025