![]() ![]() It was first discovered in North America about 1876, when it was found in Oregon, and it reached Florida in 1924. Pest Status: Caterpillars feed on foliage on a wide variety of agronomic and horticultural crops and cause severe crop losses when they occur in large numbers medically harmless.įor additional information, contact your local Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agent or search for other state Extension offices. The beet armyworm originated in Southeast Asia. Alfalfa, citrus, corn, grasses, legumes, onion, ornamental plants, pea, pepper, potato, soybeans, sugar beets, sunflower, tomato, vegetables and weeds such as plantain and pigweed also serve as hosts for this species. In cotton fields, they also feed on developing squares and bolls. ![]() Older, larger caterpillars feed alone and consume leaf tissue that can result in complete defoliation of host plants. ![]() They may spin a light web over the foliage. Normal egg production is about 300 to 600 per female. Egg: Eggs are laid in clusters of 50 to 150 eggs per mass. Young larval stages feed close together, often grazing on the outer (epidermal) layer of cells on the underside of leaves. Newly hatched larvae of the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hbner). Habitat and Food Source(s): Caterpillars have chewing mouthparts. Beet armyworm moths are known to migrate northward each year. The life cycle requires 30 to 40 days, depending on temperature, and several generations can occur annually. Thereafter, caterpillars pupate in the ground within a cell constructed 1/4 inch deep and made of soil and trash particles glued together with a sticky secretion. Tiny caterpillars hatch from the egg mass in 2 to 5 days and develop through five stages (instars) over a period of about 3 weeks. In spring, mated female moths (milers) lay clusters of about 80 spherical, ribbed eggs covered with hairs and scales from her body. Winter is usually spent in the pupal stage. However, wings are held over the back when at rest The forewings are grayish-brown with two pale spots near the center. Adult moths have a wingspan of 1 to 1 1/4 inches. Caterpillars are overall green or marked in shades of green with stripes, grows up to about 1 1/4 inches long, and can best be identified by a characteristic small black spot on each side of the second body (thoracic) segment behind the head. Scientific Name: Spodoptera exigua (Hübner)ĭescription: The caterpillars (larvae) of the beet armyworm are stages most commonly observed when they can occur in high numbers. Beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), caterpillar in cotton boll. ![]()
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