wireworm

[ wahyuhr-wurm ]

noun

1. any of the slender, hard-bodied larvae of click beetles, many of which live underground and feed on the roots of plants.
2. any of various small myriapods.
3. stomach worm.

wireworm

/ ˈwaɪəˌwɜːm /

noun

1. the wormlike larva of various elaterid beetles, which feeds on the roots of many crop plants and is a serious agricultural pest

Word History and Origins

Origin of wireworm¹

First recorded in 1780–90; wire + worm

Example Sentences

Small Potatoes, roughly hollowed out, or pieces of Carrot, may be used as traps for wireworm and other vermin.

From Project Gutenberg

For practical purposes the Wireworm may be regarded as inhabiting every kind of soil and consuming every kind of crop.

From Project Gutenberg

The insects in the larval or wireworm stage attack the roots of plants, eating them away below the ground.

From Project Gutenberg

Wireworm is the most persistent and destructive of all the ground vermin.

From Project Gutenberg

The nutty roots are often eaten by earth vermin, especially wireworm.

From Project Gutenberg