Whitefringed Beetles

by Eric Day

Description: Several species. Adults: Dark gray

snout beetles, white hairs covering back, light band
along the side of the body; 1/2 inch long. Larvae:
Yellowish white, curved, legless, fleshy. Up to 1/2
inch long.

Common host plant(s): Potato, turnip, peanut,

cabbage, collards, sweet corn, strawberry, and
blackberry.

Damage: Larvae feed on roots and tubers of potato

and turnip.

Adult whitefringed beetle and leaf damage. Clemson Distribution: Southeastern United States;
University - USDA Cooperative Extension Slide Series, infestations localized. White fringed beetle is no
Bugwood.org longer regulated by the Virginia Department of
Agriculture.

Cultural Control: Clean cultivation should serve as an effective aid in managing white-fringed beetles.
Plant oats or other small grains in the infested soil as this insect does not do well on this crop. Follow a
rotation in which summer legumes are only planted in the area every three or four years.

Organic/Biological Control: No organic/biological control for white-fringed beetles is known at this

time.

Chemical Control: Work a granular insecticide into the soil at planting time. Or, for control of adults,
spray foliage with insecticide registered for use on the host plant in need of protection.

2011 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 3104-1571

Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. An
equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia State University, and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture cooperating. Edwin J. Jones, Director, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg; Jewel E. Hairston, Interim Administrator, 1890 Extension Program, Virginia State, Petersburg.