Udea profundalis
Pest description and crop damage The common name derives from the caterpillar's habit of tying leaves together with silk, creating a shelter. Caterpillars have a light brown head capsule and a greenish and somewhat translucent body with two pale stripes along a darker midline. Larvae skeletonize leaves and may become abundant in sugar beet fields during late season. Adult moths are tan to orange-brown with several dark wavy lines on the wings as well as protruding mouthparts that appear as a "snout." Moths rest on the foliage of beets and/or weeds and will readily take flight when disturbed.
Scouting and thresholds No economic thresholds exist, and no conventional insecticides are registered for use against the false celery leaftier in sugar beet.
Management-chemical control
Several biological or reduced-risk insecticides are available post-emergence (Table 3).