Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) collected from three regions (two scallion-producing regions and one ginger-producing region) in Shandong, China and a laboratory colony of Wuhan (WHLC) were evaluated for their susceptibilities to ten insecticides (emamectin benzoate, chlorfenapyr, indoxacarb, spinosyn, tebufenozide, methoxyfenozide, chlorfluazuron, betacypermethrin, chlorpyrifos and methomyl) in 2008, 2009 and 2010 using a leaf-dip bioassay method. The results indicate that the resistance ratios of S. exigua to newer insecticides such as emamectin benzoate, chlorfenapyr and indoxacarb were all below 20-fold, with no obvious change in all 3 years. S. exigua exhibits moderate resistance to spinosyn, and its resistance ratios increased from 1.98-5.31-fold in 2008 to 14.31-64.20-fold in 2010 from three regions as compared with WHLC. S. exigua showed moderate to high resistance to insect growth regulators such as tebufenozide, methoxyfenozide, chlorfluazuron in 2008, 2009 and 2010, in which resistance to chlorfluazuron was rapidly increased from 31. 49-88.19-fold in 2008 to 1184.39-2789.67-fold in 2010. Resistance of S. exigua to beta-cypermethrin and chlorpyrifos varied greatly among the three regions, ranging from 95. 31-437.97-fold and 25.05-40.64-fold in 2008, 951.81-1304.40-fold and 44.91-186.33-fold in 2009, to 27.27-1095.31-fold and 19.12-267.98-fold in 2010. In contrast, S. exigua showed low resistance to methomyl, and the resistance ratio was below 5-fold in 3 years. There are several reasons accounting for varying degrees of resistance, including selection pressure, cropping structure and migration, in which the migration of S. exigua may play an important role.