Abstract  The beet webworm, Loxostege sticticalis (Linnaeus), is one of the most destructive pests of crops and livestock forage in northern China and was added to the List of Class I crop diseases and pests by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Areas in 2020. This species undergoes diapause and migration. There have been three periodic outbreaks of L. sticticalis in 28 years since the founding of new China, and it is currently entering the fourth periodic outbreak, which can pose a great threat to agricultural security. Research on this pest has been systematic, and important progress has been made in understanding its occurrence and in regulating the damage it causes to crops. Research on the diapause, overwintering, migration, monitoring, early warning, and integrated pest management of L. sticticalis, provide important theoretical, scientific, and technological support, for the effective control of this pest in China. This review covers progress in research in the above areas, and ongoing problems in managing L. sticticalis, in the context of global climate change, the adjustment of crop planting structure in China and the development of modern entomological technology.