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  • Click Beetle Beetles

    Click Beetle
  • Click Beetle
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Elimination

First of all, it is important to know that click beetles do not proliferate within homes, so there is no need to apply pesticide around the house. That said, if they are a common sight inside your home, chances are there is an infested field nearby. In that case, you should apply Maheu&Maheu Crawling Insect Killer on the door and window frames outside, or a diluted solution wherever the beetles could potentially gain entry into the house.

If you have a garden, you should inspect it as it may be the source of the infestation. If so, there are many insecticides specifically designed for gardens.

Actions

  • Spray or treat room perimeters with an insecticide wherever insects have been found
  • Spray or treat the outside perimeter of the house with an insecticide if a lot of insects are getting in
  • Use glue traps indoors to capture individuals that get in

Prevention

  • Seal the outsides of windows, doors, eaves, chimneys, etc. as completely as possible

Description and development

Click beetles are holometabolous insects (i.e., they undergo complete metamorphosis) of the order Coleoptera and the family Elateridae . Most of the ones regarded as pests are brown or black and vary from 8 to 15 mm in length. Adult click beetles are named after the sound they make when flipping themselves onto their feet from a supine position. Larvae are usually hard, smooth, and dark in color, although some are white or yellow. Their hard body and long, slender, cylindrical shape have earned them the nickname "wireworms."
Click beetles lay their eggs near herb roots in spring. The eggs hatch after 3 to 10 days and the emerging larvae feed on the roots of the host plant. The larval stage can last 2 to 6 years. Transition to the nymph stage occurs at the end of summer and adults winter in the ground inside their pupa shell. Given the length of the life cycle, every stage of the metamorphosis can be observed in an infested field.

Habits

Many species of click beetles are seen as pests by farmers given their taste for corn, potatoes, wheat, barley, and onions.

Larvae are responsible for the damage, boring into the seeds and underground parts of plants. They can also attack lateral roots, slowing down the plant's growth. In some cases, the damage is enough to kill the plant.

Click beetles are not much of a nuisance in homes. A few might manage to sneak their way in from time to time but they pose no threat and there is no risk of infestation.

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