Beet Moth

Scrobipalpa ocellatella

1. Identification

• Common name: Beet moth
• Scientific name: Scrobipalpa ocellatella Boyd
• Order: Lepidoptera
• Family: Gelechiidae

2. Pest description

• Whitish to pinkish caterpillars, that feed on the leaves, petioles and crowns of the beet.
• Small adults, brownish, with narrow wings and discreet patterning.
• It attacks above all sugar beet and garden beet.
• A species well adapted to hot and dry climates, with frequent outbreaks in dry summers.

3. Main hosts

• Sugar beet.
• Garden beet.
• Chard.
• Spontaneous species of the genus Beta.

4. Symptoms and damage

• Galleries in the young leaves.
• Perforations in the petioles and crowns.
• Wilting and necrosis of the affected tissues.
• Reduction of growth and of sugar accumulation.
• Severe damage in young shoots and newly emerged plants.

5. Biological cycle

• Several generations per year, accelerated by high temperatures.
• Eggs laid on the surface of the leaves or close to the petioles.
• Caterpillars penetrate the tissues quickly, forming galleries and tunnels.
• Pupation in the soil, among debris or on the plant itself.
• Adults active from spring to autumn, with peaks in hot and dry periods.

6. Monitoring

• Observation of galleries in the leaves and perforations in the petioles.
• Inspection of crowns and young shoots.
• Pheromone traps for the detection of flights.
• Assessment of the percentage of affected plants throughout the crop cycle.

7. Management measures

• Cultural: destruction of crop remains, control of spontaneous plants of the genus Beta, crop rotation and sowing in favourable conditions.
• Preventive: avoid water stress, promote initial vigour of the crop and reduce the presence of alternative hosts.
• Biological: conservation of natural parasitoids and predators.
• Integrated protection: regular monitoring, intervention thresholds and judicious application of authorised insecticides.

Bibliographic references

• EPPO Global Database – Scrobipalpa ocellatella.
• CABI Invasive Species Compendium – Scrobipalpa ocellatella.
• Bordat, D., & Arnone, S. (1990). Biology and damage of Scrobipalpa ocellatella on sugar beet. Revue de Zoologie Africaine, 104, 1–10.
• Trandafirescu, M., et al. (2004). The beet moth Scrobipalpa ocellatella: pest status and control. Journal of Plant Protection Research, 44, 125–132.
• Sekulic, R., et al. (2018). Population dynamics of Scrobipalpa ocellatella in sugar beet fields. Pesticidi i Fitomedicina, 33, 9–18.
• Harizanova, V., et al. (2012). Pests of sugar beet in Southeastern Europe. Acta Phytopathologica et Entomologica Hungarica, 47, 45–56.