Flea beetles can be very destructive to a wide variety of plants, so be sure to take preventative measures.
Learn How to Prevent These Garden Pests!
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!
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.
Catherine Boeckmann
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Pretty sure these are the little guys making a feast of one of my California Wonder bell pepper plants. I found this information on more natural ways of getting rid of them. Has anyone had any experience with any of these methods/found one that works best?
http://voices.yahoo.com/natural-methods-controlling-flea-beetles-your-6294784.html?cat=32
This definitely looks like the little pests making meals out of my lovely hibiscus. But I live right behind a preserved wet-land, so I know the fight with these twerps is gonna be a long standing one. Do you have any suggestions on how often I should be treating my hibiscus with the recommended homemade spray and any other natural deterrents I can use to help prevent infestation and subsequently disease or bacterial? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
You can buy parasitic nematodes that will attack flea beetles. Ask your supplier (local, mail-order, etc.) what species will attack flea beetles specifically. You might also try placing yellow sticky traps near plants (although this will catch both bad and good bugs). Put down a thick layer of mulch around plants to discourage beetles from laying eggs near them. Keep up with weeding; remove debris/weeds at the end of the growing season. When spraying an alcohol-based spray, test it on a leaf or two and wait a few days鈥攁lcohol can injure leaves. Do not apply the spray in hot sun or wet weather. If it looks like the plant will handle the spray, then spray it once. If it rains after several days (which may wash off the spray), you can reapply when the plant is dry again, if needed.
yea yea yea they introduced these monsters to combat russian knapweed--last thing they will eat just like goats and sheep
That is the little monster, that is hanging out in my garden.
Thanks for the great info.
