Florida Agricultural Experiment Station


larva is a small green caterpillar with purplish dots on its head.
The adult moth is a little over an inch in width across the
wings. It is cinnamon-brown in color with narrow white bands
in the middle of the front wings. The eggs are about 1/50 of
an inch in diameter and are laid on the leaves of the beets and,
particularly, carelessweed (amaranth). The latter is probably
its original host plant.
 SMALL BEET WEBWORM (Hymenia fascialis)
 This small webworm is much more abundant than Hymenia
perspectalis. During July the moths collect about the blossoms
of catnip and other plants in great numbers. As with the other
species the beet is a minor host plant for this insect, whose
larvae live chiefly on wild plants. The moth is smaller than
the other species and the white bands of the wings are larger.
Either species can easily be controlled with lead arsenate.
 CUTWORMS
 These greedy pests seem to be especially fond of beets, the
leaves of which they cut off. If this is repeated continuously
the plant is unable to grow. For control see cabbage.
 OTHER BEET PESTS
 Other insects which attack beets are: Wireworms (see un-
der corn, page 153) ; white grubs (see under potatoes, page 178) ;
bean-jassid (see bean leaf-hopper under beans, page 129);
harlequin cabbage-bug (see under cabbage, page 148); false
chinch-bug (see tarnished plant-bug under celery, page 149);
sweet-potato caterpillar (see under sweet potatoes, page 186);
12-spotted Diabrotica or corn root-worm (see under corn, page
158) ; and cabbage looper (see under cabbage, page 140).

 CABBAGE
 (Many cabbage insects also attack collards, cauliflower,
brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, and Chinese cabbage.)
 CUTWORMS
 Cutworms are very fond of any succulent plant, and are
troublesome to most truck and garden crops. Cabbage is one of
the chief sufferers from their attacks. They gnaw off the young
plants just above the ground, making them worthless.
 Cutworms are the almost hairless larvae (fig. 63, a, b) of
any of several species of moths of the Noctuid family. The
moths are night-fliers and are commonly seen about lights. They
are grayish or brownish in color and most of them have on their