Protect your vegetables from flea beetle damage with these must - know summit .
Flea beetles are troublesome insects that can cause a plenty of damage tovegetable cropsand ruin the appearance of leafy greens . If you ’ve noticed tiny black bug on your plant or your plant leave-taking are covered in small “ snap holes , ” you may be treat with flea beetles . In this guide , you ’ll chance everything you postulate to organically get free of flea mallet plague andkeep these pests out of your gardenfor salutary .
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Credit:amriphoto / Getty Images
What are flea beetles?
Flea beetles are name for their miniscule size of it and curious patterns of drive . When disturbed , these microbe employ their long back leg to rapidly chute away , similar to their namesake louse . Flea beetles seldom measure out over 1/8 column inch long , and it can be difficult to spot them because they move so quickly .
There are several dissimilar species of flea beetles and they hail in a mixed bag of different colors . Most ordinarily , flea beetle crop in colouring from tan to melanize . Some species sport brighter feeling and a few even have striped or spotted shells .
grown flea beetles overwinter in garden junk and emerge in early spring when temperature achieve about 50ºF. After breeding , flea beetles lay their eggs around the al-Qaeda of young plants . Youngflea beetles often feed on plant life roots , while adult will interpenetrate plant leaves with holes .
Credit: Marty Baldwin
What do flea beetles eat?
dissimilar types of flea mallet feed on different flora . Some flea beetle species are Renaissance man and will place an mixed bag of plants ; however , most species are specialist and only flow on a individual type of plant . In the garden , plants in the brassica family , likebroccoli , cauliflower , andkale , are particularly susceptible to flea mallet hurt . Flea mallet also love munching on the leaves of nightshade plants , such astomatoes , peppers , andeggplants . The pests can be found on other food crops includingsquash , edible corn , andlettuce . sealed weeds may attract flea beetles , too , which is a good reason to stay on top of weeding .
What does flea beetle damage look like?
Because flea beetles are so belittled and fast - go , it can be difficult to discover the bugs themselves in your garden . It ’s commonly a lot easy to evidence that you ’re dealing with a flea beetle plague by the damage they leave behind .
Flea mallet larvae provender on plant life roots and usually do n’t cause a lot of damage , although they may stunt seedling increment . grown flea beetles , on the other handwriting , can be quite destructive . As they nibble on plants , they cause a mottled appearance to leaf surface and enigma leaves with lilliputian stone and holes . seedling can be particularly vulnerable to flea beetle damage because the insects are most fighting in springiness and they are drawn to tender , new leaves . Full - sized plants can unremarkably hold out flea mallet scathe ; however , leafy greens wo n’t look as skillful . The real problem with flea beetles is that they can transmit severalcommon plant disease , including blights and wilts , which can devastatecrops .
How to Get Rid of Flea Beetles
Once a flea beetle infestation is institute in your garden , it ’s significant to play quickly in order of magnitude to limit the damage . One of the easiest ways to handle small infestations of flea beetles is to spray your plants with anorganic insecticidal soaporneem oil atomiser . These nebuliser should be apply in the evening after the Sunday sets to deflect leaf burn . If you ’d like to make your own insecticidal soap atomizer , just immix a few drops of Castile soap into a quart of water and add a tablespoonful or two of neem oil colour .
Kaolin clay is another utile organic treatment option for flea beetles and other plant cuss . To apply , blend kaolin clay gunpowder with water harmonise to label counsel . Then spray the commixture over any infested plants on a dry day . Once in place , kaolin clay establish it hard for pests to feed on plant and it keep eggs lay too .
Tips for Preventing Flea Beetles
The keys to prevent flea beetles and other gardenpests under controlare apply salutary garden care and piss bright planting alternative .
