蜜桃恋人

How to Identify and Get Rid of Flea Beetles

Flea beetles can be very destructive to a wide variety of plants, so be sure to take preventative measures.

Photo Credit
Greg Bryant, North Carolina State University
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Learn How to Prevent These Garden Pests!

Catherine Boeckmann
Pest Type
Garden Pests

Are you having trouble with flea beetles in your garden? If you’ve noticed leaves riddled with holes, and your precious plants seem stunted, you might be facing a flea beetle infestation. Here’s how to identify, prevent, and get rid of these pesky bugs so that they stop eating your vegetables!

What Are Flea Beetles?

Flea beetles are small, shiny-coated beetles with large rear legs, which allow them to jump like fleas when threatened.

There are many species of flea beetles. Some species attack a wide range of plants, while others target only certain plant families. In the garden, many vegetable crops are susceptible to these pests, particularly those in the Brassica family, like broccoli, cabbage, kale, radishes, and turnips, as well as Nightshades such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants.

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Identification

How to Identify Flea Beetles on Plants

Given that there are so many species of flea beetles, they vary in appearance quite a bit. Colors range from black to tan, with other, brighter colors mixed in, and the beetles may have a solid, striped, or spotted pattern, depending on the species.

To identify flea beetles, it鈥檚 easier to look for signs of their damage (described below) than for the beetles themselves. At only 1/16 of an inch in length, flea beetles are very tiny and will quickly spring away鈥攍ike fleas鈥攊f they see you approach!

flea beetles
Flea beetle on leaf. Credit: Fotikphoto

When Do Flea Beetles Appear?

Adult flea beetles overwinter in brush and wooded areas. Adult bugs pose the biggest threat early in the planting season as they are emerging, typically when outdoor temperatures reach 50潞F (10掳C). At this time, seedlings are being planted, too, and they are most susceptible to beetle damage.

Eggs are laid at the base of plant stems in early summer after the spring feeding period, and larvae feed at the roots.

What Flea Beetle Damage Looks Like

Adult beetles feed on foliage, producing 鈥渟hotholes鈥 in the leaves. Look out for these holes, especially on young seedlings, where damage is most rapid and will cause the most harm. The holes they make will be round and can quickly ruin leafy greens. New leaves are usually damaged first and will have a lacy appearance.

Flea beetles usually don鈥檛 cause fatal damage to established plants because the leaves are already large enough to survive a few holes. The real danger is that the beetles can spread bacterial diseases, such as wilt and blight, from plant to plant. Additionally, in leafy crops like lettuce or spinach, the holes can bring down the quality of the leaves. Therefore, they are still important to consider as pests.

Flea beetle damage on radish leaves.
Gardening Products
Control and Prevention

How to Get Rid of Flea Beetles

  • Try this homemade spray to control flea beetles: 2 cups isopropyl alcohol, 5 cups water, and 1 tablespoon liquid soap. Test out the mixture on a leaf of the plant, let it sit overnight, then spray the rest of the plant if you don’t notice any adverse effects. Spray the mixture on the foliage of garden plants that are susceptible to these pests.
  • Dusting leaves with plain talcum powder repels flea beetles on tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and other plants.
  • Use white sticky traps to capture flea beetles as they jump.
  • Insecticides may be used early in the season but are generally unnecessary in the control of flea beetles on adult plants. Be extra diligent if your soil has a history of bacterial diseases. Please contact your local nursery or cooperative extension for further advice.

How to Prevent Flea Beetles

  • In the spring, emerging flea beetles will be waiting to feast on your garden. Cut off their food supply by delaying transplanting or planting by a couple of weeks if possible.
  • In the fall, till the garden to unearth any hiding flea beetles. This will also make it easier for the soil easier to work the next spring.
  • Row covers may be successful at keeping these pests out, as long as they are completely sealed. They should be used immediately after transplanting, so the pests do not have time to find the plant.
  • Flea beetles can be kept away from crops by planting strongly-scented plants such as catnip, sage, mint, or hyssop nearby. Nasturtium, radishes, and basil can be used as 鈥渢rap crops鈥 to take the beetles鈥 focus off of more valuable plants.
  • Check out these tips to attract beneficial insects, which will prey on flea beetles.
Garden Pests
About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it鈥檚 not surprising that she and The Old Farmer鈥檚 蜜桃恋人 found each other. She leads digital content for the 蜜桃恋人 website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann
 

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Comments

Kerry Miller (not verified)

11 years 3 months ago

Nothing is working for me an I've lost my whole potato crop this year. Issues like this are scary for organic gardeners. The're spreading to my hundreds of tomatoes and I may loose everything this year!!!It'll be a poor winter! Isn't there anything I can do that will really work? My plants are covered!

Kerry, We feel for you. Here is a helpful guide for organic control of the flea beetle for potato crops. As you'll see, the key to organic control is to start very early with sanitation of overwintering sites: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/em/em8947-e.pdf

Karla T (not verified)

11 years 5 months ago

Your homemade recipe for the bug killer spray is a bit off... I don't understand the 2 parts, 5 parts and then you have a tablespoon of soap... please give the PART RATIO of the soap... I'm sure if I had my part as one gallon that a tablespoon of soap would not be enough... or would it? Please put a recipe that is all "parts" or all exact measurements! Thank you!

I made the flea bettle spray following recipe and it burned the leaves of my bok choy plants..

We are sorry to disappoint you, Karla, but we checked cooperative extensions and other reputable garden associations and found the exact same recipe. As the recipe is written, you would be filling a spray bottle so most likely not making several gallons at once.
We wish you luck in defeating the flea beetles!

So just to be clear, the following 2 combinations are examples of what would be correct based on the ratios provided:

Combination #1
2 ounces rubbing alcohol
5 ounces of water
1 tablespoon liquid soap

Combination #2
2 gallons of rubbing alcohol
5 gallons of water
1 tablespoon liquid soap

If 1 tablespoon of liquid soap is equitable for both of these, how and why is it effective? If you say it is for filling a spray bottle, is that a 32 oz bottle? Details such as that can make a large difference.

johnny rangers (not verified)

10 years 6 months ago

a 'quart' is a unit of liquid capacity equal to a quarter of a gallon or two pints, equivalent in the US to approximately 0.94 liter and in Britain to approximately 1.13 liters.

No one said a "quart" in anything posted and showing. They claimed a "PART" which is NOT a quart. They DID NOT mean a part of a gallon. Because a gallon was not stated. It was a never clarified what the correct measure was when using a unspecified "parts" formula with exacting measures thrown in. You can not have the same ratio of "parts" without all or none of the exact measure.

Fill a container about 1/4 or 1/3 of the way full with rubbing alchohol;
Fill the rest of the way with water;
Squirt some dishsoap in the container.
I don't think exact measurements are really needed.
Good luck

Garyguy, I think you are so right! thanks!!