Scientific Name

Spodoptera exigua

 

Hosts

Peanuts and other crops including cotton, soybeans, etc.

 

Symptoms

Chewing on leaves from margins inward, ragged appearance on leaves. More pronounced in dry years and on Spanish peanut varieties.

 

Description

This green or black caterpillar has a dark head, five pairs of prolegs, and sometimes three lightly colored stripes running the length of the body. On older larvae, there is a small black spot on each side of the body on the second segment behind the head. Larva may be 25 to 30 mm long when fully grown. The beet armyworm moth has a wingspan of 25 to 32 mm. Its forewings are mottled gray or brown with a pale spot near the center of each wing. Its hind wings are white with dark veins and have a fringe-like border.

 

Control

Please contact your local county extension office for current information.