Melanotus cribricollis (Coleoptera: Elateridae) is a dominant soildwelling insect that is known to damage and destroy bamboo shoots in southern China. It is very difficult to monitor and control this kind of wireworm. To aim at understanding the mechanism of food foraging of wireworm below ground, we tested the orientation behavior towards different food baits and observed the type, amount and distribution of sensilla on the antennae, maxillary palp and labial palp of Melanotus cribricollis larva’s head surface by using scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that wireworms were attracted by germinating seeds of corn and wheat, and bamboo shoots, and the attraction of wireworms towards bamboo shoots was significantly stronger than that towards germinating seeds of corn and wheat, and raw oatmeal. Four types of sensilla were recorded in antennae including sensilla chaetica, sensilla basiconica, hook sensilla and dickshape sensilla. Three types of sensilla, including sensilla basiconica, sensilla coeloconica and sensilla ampullaceal, were found in maxillary palp; seven types of sensilla were observed on labial palp surface, including sensilla basiconica, sensilla coeloconica, sensilla ampullaceal, sensilla trichodea, sensilla processus mastoideus, sensilla groove and sensilla dumbbell. Our results confirmed that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) played an important role in food foraging of wireworm, and provided basic information for understanding the function of sensilla of larval head in food foraging.