Beet-fly (Anthomyia betæ), a dipterous insect which sometimes infests crops of beet or mangoldwurzel. In spring the very small eggs are laid in patches on the under surface of the leaves. The hatched maggots, which are about a third of an inch long, devour the soft parts, and after about a month of voracious life become pupæ, which are usually buried in the ground. In about a fortnight the flies appear, measuring about half an inch from tip to tip of expanded wings. There seem to be two or more broods, and the last set of pupæ remain as such during the winter. It has not been noted as a frequent pest in Britain, but did great damage in 1880. Dressing with guano, soot, and especially superphosphate, was found efficacious. The genus includes a large number of forms. Compare CABBAGE-FLY, TURNIP-FLY, POTATO-FLY; and Miss Ormerod's Injurious Insects.