Protect Soybean Seeds Early with Wireworm Prevention Tactics

Some of the most damaging soybean pests are the ones we never actually see.
While we often scout for leaf-damaging insect pests, it’s the underground ones that can hinder the establishment of a healthy stand of soybeans.
Wireworms, the long, worm-like larvae of click beetles, are early-season pests that feed on soybean seeds, roots and shoot tissue. The damage can prevent seeds from sprouting and stunt soybean growth.
However, by understanding more about wireworm life cycle and behavior, we can start to implement best practices and treatments to protect the start of your soybean growth.

Wireworm life cycle and infestation year over year

Wireworms are notoriously persistent pests because they can live in the soil for two to six years, depending on the species. This extended underground life cycle allows them to cause long-term damage, often without growers realizing the source of the problem until it’s too late.
These larvae mature into adult click beetles in the fall, but instead of emerging immediately, they remain underground and wait until spring. Eventually, females mate and lay their eggs in shady and grassy areas.¹ Fields that were previously sod or pasture can often have problems with wireworms as they transition into crop fields.
If you aren’t proactively managing for wireworms when you first notice a problem, generations of wireworms can eventually overlap and become a serious issue. Often, there will only be patches of wireworm damage throughout a field, and infestations tend to be more problematic in the Mid-South region of the US.²
Proactive management is crucial before wireworm populations become entrenched and persist year after year.

Lack of effective rescue treatments for wireworm control

If you discover an infestation of wireworms, there’s not much you can do for the season. Once wireworms begin attacking soybean seeds or seedlings, there aren’t any rescue treatments you can apply. Traditional seed treatments, such as neonicotinoids or rescue insecticides, are ineffective in controlling an established infestation of wireworms.³
That’s why early scouting and understanding your field history are so important for getting ahead of wireworms before they infest.

How to get rid of wireworms with preventive management and seed treatment

What can you do to protect your soybeans from wireworm?

• Avoid leaving your fields fallow without controlling weeds or grasses. However, fields that were previously planted in a crop, like corn or soybeans, are far less likely to develop a wireworm problem.⁴
• Use bait traps to monitor wireworm populations ahead of planting.
• Shallow till in the spring in any fields that have a high population of wireworms to reduce those numbers.⁵
• Increase seeding rates by 10–15% in at-risk fields to offset stand loss.⁶
• Plant soybeans into warm soil and don’t plant too early into cool, moist soil that would delay germination and increase vulnerability to damage.

One of the best ways you can prevent wireworms from damaging your soybeans is by using Teraxxa® and Teraxxa F4 seed treatments. Teraxxa is the only formulated seed treatment designed to eliminate wireworms and disrupt their reproductive cycle.
Wireworms are a hidden but costly threat to soybean establishment, and once they strike, there is no in-season remedy. By understanding the multi-year wireworm life cycle and focusing on preventive wireworm control, such as field history awareness, proper seed treatments and adjusted planting practices, you can significantly reduce stand losses.
Experts are available to help you make your crop protection decisions. Reach out to your seed retailer, a nearby extension office agent, or a seed company professional like your regional BASF representative.

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Endnotes

1. Hesler, Louis S., et al. “Early-Season Pests of Soybean in the United States and Factors That Affect Their Risk of Infestation.” Journal of Integrated Pest Management, vol. 9, no. 1, 2018, pp. 1–15. Oxford University Press on behalf of the Entomological Society of America, https://dr.lib.iastate.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/a93061e0-8b64-41f6-b14f-56b8ad561c3d/content
2. Hesler et al. “Early-Season Pests of Soybean in the United States and Factors That Affect Their Risk of Infestation.”
3. Beauzay, Patrick, and Janet J. Knodel. “Wireworm Control Options.” Crop & Pest Report, 12 May 2022, North Dakota State Univ., https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/sites/default/files/2022-05/2.CPR_.May%2012.2022.pdf
4. Burkness, E. C., and W. D. Hutchison. “Wireworms.” VegEdge: Insect Pest Profiles, University of Minnesota, https://vegedge.umn.edu/insect-pest-profiles/wireworms
5. Hesler et al. “Early-Season Pests of Soybean in the United States and Factors That Affect Their Risk of Infestation.”
6. Beauzay and Knodel. “Wireworm Control Options.”