Scutigerella immaculata
Pest description and crop damage Active, white, fragile, centipede-like, soil-borne relatives of insects, 0.25 inch long, with 12 or more pairs of legs. They primarily damage sugar beets early in the season by feeding on germinating seed or on small roots of seedling plants.
Scouting and thresholds No formal economic thresholds exist for symphylan insecticide treatment decisions. They occur in unpredictably spotty infestations and generally are considered minor pests. There are no effective "rescue" treatments that can be applied postemergence in sugar beets for symphylans.
Management-chemical control
- 1,3-dichloropropene (Telone II) and 1,3-dichloropropene/chloropicrin (Telone C-17, Telone C-35)-Preplant soil fumigants.
- azadirachtin/pyrethrins (Azera, Azera Pro) at 0.0125 to 0.025 lb ai/A, and up to 0.044 lb ai/A under extremely heavy infestation. Dilution in a minimum of 30 gal water per acre is recommended for conventional equipment. May be applied by air at the rate of 0.0125 to 0.025 lb ai/A in a minimum of 25 gal water. Do not repeat more than every 5 to 7 days. OMRI-listed for organic use.
- pyrethrins (Lynx EC 1.4, Lynx EC 5.0, PyGanic EC 1.4, Tersus)-See label for rates. PHI 0 days. REI 12 hr. Some formulations are OMRI-listed for organic use.
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