Symptoms

The adults overwinter in the soil at a depth of about 20 to 30 cm and they move upwards to the soil surface in spring when humidity and temperatures are favourable for flying or for food search. Sometimes, the adults can even damage the stems.

After egg laying by the mated females, the young emerging larvae can be highly destructive and as a result of their voracity they can consume all parts of the foliage (photo 1). 

The larvae start to devour the leaves which carry them, then move onto the neighbouring leaves up to the top of the plant. They are voracious and they can rapidly defoliate a complete plant.