BEET ARMY WORMS

Tomato beet army worm3

Beet army worm larvae

Beet army worm caterpillar

Symptoms:

Caterpillars have chewing mouthparts. Adults have siphoning mouths. Young larval stages feed close together, often grazing on the outer (epidermal) layer of cells on the underside of leaves. They may spin a light web over the foliage. Older, larger caterpillars feed alone and consume leaf tissue that can result in complete defoliation of host plants.

• adults have forewings which are mottled grayish-brown and have an expanse of about 1 1/4 inches
• hind wings are silver white with a darker front margin
• bright green with dark lateral stripes, the larvae are about 1 1/4 inches long

Leaf miner

Leaf miner

Symptoms:
Leaf miner larvae tunnel through the lamina of the tomato leaf eating the chlorophyll-rich mesophyll cells as they go. This leaves an irregular track of dead tissue that eventually causes the leaf to stop functioning. High levels of damage on vegetable crops cause stunted growth and reduced yield. High populations of adult flies can injure leaves by producing egg-laying and feeding scars called “stipples.”

 

Control:
Adult leaf miner flies are attracted to yellow cards coated with a sticky layer (yellow sticky cards).

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