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Beet Leafhopper

The beet leafhopper, Circulifer tenellus, is the primary vector of curly top virus, a serious plant disease affecting sugar beets and several other crops. When plants become infected, the virus causes characteristic curling and thickening of beet leaves, which later become brittle, stunted, and discolored. Infected plants often experience reduced root development and lower sugar content, which can lead to substantial economic losses for sugar beet producers, particularly during years when leafhopper populations reach epidemic levels.

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The beet leafhopper overwinters as an adult in rangeland, desert areas, and idle agricultural lands, where it feeds on a wide range of weed hosts. As temperatures warm in spring and early summer, adults migrate into agricultural fields, including sugar beet crops, where they transmit the virus while feeding. Because the virus is transmitted rapidly during feeding, early-season infestations pose the greatest risk to crop productivity.

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Management of curly top virus relies on integrated pest management (IPM) strategies that target both the insect vector and its habitat. Control methods may include:

• Treatment of surrounding non-crop areas where leafhoppers overwinter and reproduce, particularly where susceptible weed hosts are abundant.

• Use of insecticide-treated sugar beet seed, which can protect seedlings from early feeding by migrating leafhoppers.

• Weed management in and around fields to reduce host plants that support leafhopper populations.

• Monitoring and forecasting programs that track leafhopper migrations and help growers anticipate risk levels.

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Because of the significant economic threat posed to Wyoming’s sugar beet industry, the 1973 Wyoming Legislature designated the beet leafhopper as a state pest. Local Wyoming Weed and Pest Council districts work with landowners, agricultural producers, and land managers to implement IPM practices, provide education, and assist with monitoring efforts aimed at reducing the impacts of both the beet leafhopper and curly top virus.