Early in the 1998 season, there were problems with springtails affecting seedling beets. With the current wet and cool conditions, feeding and losses may occur again due to these insects. Some concerns of injury have already been raised for fields where granular insecticides were not used.
Springtails are very common soil dwelling insects.
The particular species that has injured sugarbeets is Folsomides parvulus. Feeding injury appears as discolored lesions on the tap root. When you pull up soil around the base of a dying plant, you may see them move for only a second or two before they disappear back into the soil. Very good eye-sight is required for finding this insect. To find springtails in the soil, take a shovel full of moist soil and throw it in a bucket of water.