Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The yellowish hard-bodied larva of various click beetles that feeds on the roots and seedlings of many crop plants.
- noun Any of various millipedes.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The slender hard-bodied larva of any one of the click-beetles or snapping-beetles of the family Elateridæ.
- noun A myriapod of the genus Julus or of an allied genus; a galley-worm.
- noun A parasitic worm of sheep, Strongylus contortulus.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun One of the larvæ of various species of snapping beetles, or elaters; -- so called from their slenderness and the uncommon hardness of the integument. Wireworms are sometimes very destructive to the roots of plants. Called also
wire grub . - noun A galleyworm.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The
larva of theclick beetle .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun wormlike larva of various elaterid beetles; feeds on roots of many crop plants
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Most Southeastern potato farmers, both sweet and Irish, contend a wireworm is a wireworm and the only good one is a dead one.
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The wireworm and slugs are both very fond of Pinks and Carnations.
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Even sifting will not rid the soil of its presence with certainty, but by spreading thin layers of the mould evenly upon a hard, level floor, and passing a heavy roller over it east and west, then north and south, the wireworm will be disposed of.
The Culture of Vegetables and Flowers From Seeds and Roots 16th Edition Sutton and Sons
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There is in this case a risk of wireworm and black bot; but if the turf is provided in good time and is laid up in the yard ready for use, it will be searched by the small birds and pretty well cleansed of the insect larvas that may have lurked in it when first removed.
The Culture of Vegetables and Flowers From Seeds and Roots 16th Edition Sutton and Sons
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Allotment holders throughout the country hope the order will be read out to any wireworm or potato-moth that attempts to land at our ports.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 152, May 23, 1917 Various
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Second, plant them 9in. deep in sandy soil, and a moist situation, surrounding each bulb with half-a-spadeful of fine charcoal, which protects them from rot, canker, and (what I believe to be the chief cause of failure) the wireworm.
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The nutty roots are often eaten by earth vermin, especially wireworm.
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Whenever there is occasion to lift the roots it is a good plan to dress them, by repeated dips in a mixture of clay and soot, until they are well coated; they should be allowed to dry for a short time between each dip; this will not only be found useful in keeping off wireworm and similar pests, but will otherwise benefit the plants as a manure.
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Slugs should be trapped, but the wireworm, unfortunately, has often done the mischief before we become aware of its presence, and even then it is a troublesome pest to get rid of.
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Every "Adonis" potato is inoculated for wireworm before leaving our grounds.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 152, March 14, 1917 Various
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