Sugar Beet Root Aphid

(Pemphigus fuscicornus), an insect of the suborder Aphidinea of the order Homoptera; a dangerous beet pest.

The body of the wingless parthenogenetic female is 2.3–2.5 mm long, ovoid, and yellowish white in color. Sugar beet root aphids are widespread in beet-growing areas. Adult parthenogenetic females winter in the soil. In the spring they give birth to larvae, which are important in the expansion of the focuses of the insects. A female produces ten to 12 generations between April and September. Wingless parthenogenetic females first appear in late August, as do winged sexuparas, whose role has not been determined.

Aphid colonies live on the shallow rootlets of beets and of such weeds of the families Chenopodiaceae and Amarantha-ceae as oraches and goosefoots. The sugar beet root aphid sucks juices from the roots. The plant wilts and, if there is insufficient soil moisture, dies. During droughts the plant roots dry out and rot and may be easily pulled from the soil. Yields may be reduced by 50 quintals (and more) per hectare, and the sugar content of sugar beets may be reduced by 3–5 percent.

Measures to control sugar beet root aphids include destroying weeds, properly alternating crops during crop rotation, and treating border strips and focuses of the pest on beet farms with insecticides.