Categories

Flying Bug
July 19, 2009
I have recently been finding this bug in my house. Have found it in Bathrooms and bedroom, usually crawling but has wings and flies if you go to grab it.
Approx. .25-.50 inches long. It is just a bit bigger then a grain of rice. Light brown / tan in color.
Mike M.
Woodstown, NJ (Rural Area)

Tobacco Wireworm

Hi Mike,
This is a species of Click Beetle in the family Elateridae.  It looks like a good match to the Tobacco Wireworm, Conoderus vespertinus, which we located on BugGuide.  The North Carolina State University website has a page with information on the Tobacco Wireworm which also feeds on corn and potatoes and is considered an agricultural pest. The Organic Gardening Practices website has a photo of the larva which does the damage as well as listing susceptible plants as “Potato, strawberry, brassicas, beans, beets, carrot, lettuce, onion, and tomato, also ornamentals, including, anemone, carnation, dahlia, gladioli, and primula.”

Related Posts

1. Glowing Click Beetle (September 13, 2008)
2. Click Beetle (November 8, 2008)
3. Large Black Click Beetle: Lanelater schottii??? (April 19, 2009)
4. Arboreal Click Beetle with Feathered Antennae found in Mount Washington, Los Angeles (June 1, 2009)
5. Click Beetle from the West Indies (November 10, 2009)