The sugar beet root aphid Pemphigus betae Doane, attacks sugar beets in Western Canada and sucks the juice from the roots. The insect also infests table beets, swiss chard, and such weeds as lambsquarters. The sugar beet root aphid sucks the sap from the roots of beets and can destroy most of the rootlets and severely damage the tap root. A few aphids will not appreciably change the appearance of the beets but large populations will cause the plant to wilt and, if enough sap is removed, the beets will die. As populations increase rapidly and are subterranean, fairly severe damage may be done before the aphids are noticed.

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Telephone: 780-427-2727
Website: http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$Department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex726