Beet Bug

(Poeciloscytux, or Polymerus, cognatus), an insect of the family Miridae of the order Hemiptera; a dangerous beet pest. The beet bug is grayish black with yellowish markings and measures 3.5–5 mm long. The green larva is 4.4 mm long. The beet bug is found in Europe and Asia; in the USSR it is encountered in beet-growing regions. The bug is also injurious to flax, hemp, mustard, peas, vetch, sainfoin, and other plants. The leaves wither as the result of stings by the beet bugs, and severely damaged plants die. The beet bug carries certain virus diseases, for example, mosaic diseases of beets. Two to four generations are produced each year. Control measures include weeding, low mowing of legume grasses in early spring, and treatment of seed plants with insecticides.