Despite its common name – beet armyworm – pointing to one specific crop, no garden is safe from this pest. It will chow down on everything from corn to tomatoes to flowers.
If only our kids loved as many different types of vegetables as the immature larvae of this hungry moth!
Able to skeletonize leaves, burrow into plant crowns, and kill seedlings and young plants, Spodoptera exiguais a daunting foe.
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Luckily, there are some steps you can take if they invade your lush garden plot. Everything you need to know about these chewing pests is laid out for you below.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
What Are Beet Armyworms?Beet armyworms originated in southeast Asia and were first discovered in North America in Oregon in 1876.
They are in the Noctuidae family, along with other types of cutworms and armyworms.
They rarely overwinter in regions where frost kills their host plants, so they must reinvade these areas annually. Thus, beet armyworms are often more significant pests in southern states and in greenhouses.
Their host range is wide, including a variety of vegetable, field, and flower crops.
Asparagus, beets, cabbage, chrysanthemums, corn, onions, peas, peppers, tomatoes, and turnips are just a few of their favorites. They like weeds too, such as lamb’s-quarter, mullein, pigweed, and purslane.
Both the adults and larvae feed on the plants, but the larvae are the main concern. Young larvae feed in groups and can skeletonize leaves. They often create light webbing between the foliage, sticking leaves together as well.
More mature larvae prefer the growing tips of foliage
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