Description

Abstract: Sixty peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) fields were surveyed for wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae) in the Virginia-North Carolina peanut area in 1989 and 1990. A series of baited container soil traps was placed in each field once in early June and again in early August for a total of 605 trap-weeks (trap per field per week = 1 trap-week)). Trap capture was similarly low in both states and in both years with a total of 59 wireworm specimens collected: an average of one wireworm per field per year. Species composition was similarly diverse with Conoderus vespertinus F. comprising 58 percent, C. lividus De Geer 20 percent, Glyphonx sp. 8 percent, Melanotus communis Gyllenhal 7 percent, C. sp. 5 percent, and C. bellus Say 2 percent. Even though wireworm captures were low, moderate to high levels of pod damage were observed. The large number of southern corn rootworm (Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi Barber) adults detected on nearby pheromone baited sticky traps indicated that most pod damage was not by wireworm but by southern corn rootworm. Implications are that although several wireworm species can be found in association with peanut, they appear to play only a minor role in peanut pod damage in the survey area.