What flea beetles look like
In common parlance, these insects are called earth fleas (flea beetles). In reality, they belong to the leaf beetle family. There are about 10,000 species of flea beetles on the planet. The tiny size of these beetles (from 1 to 5 mm in length) by no means indicates the harmlessness of the insects mentioned above. On the contrary, flea beetles – are the eternal enemies of gardeners, distinguished by their extraordinary voracity and hardiness.
The barely noticeable beetles have hard wing covers and very strong hind legs. For their ability to jump high and far, and then cling tightly to a plant, they were nicknamed earth fleas. They are also distinguished by the fact that, once settled on a leaf, they tuck their legs and antennae under themselves. And they turn into multicolored dots: from brown and gray to orange and even blue. In this respect, nature did not spare its colors.
The strong jaws that grind up vegetation and the ravenous appetite of flea beetles are capable of destroying any vegetable crop.
For the winter, these tiny pests find shelter in the soil, on the roots of plants. And they tolerate the cold excellently. As soon as spring arrives, the flea beetles crawl to the surface. Starved during the cold months, they begin feeding intensively on the shoots of garden plants. The breeding period among the beetles usually falls during settled warm and windless weather.
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Signs of infestation
Females try to lay eggs at the very base of stems, as well as on the surface of the plant itself. Quite quickly a huge number of larvae appear, which, together with their parents, occupy the leaves of young vegetable seedlings. As if with a sharp knife, they scrape away the living tissue, make pits in it, and with their jaws bore numerous, barely noticeable little holes. So if you look at the gnawed seedlings in the rays of the sun, each of their leaves resembles a tiny sieve. This is one of the signs that voracious flea beetles are at work in full force in the garden.
It’s worth noting that sometimes up to 200 beetles gather on a single plant. This once again testifies to the fantastic fertility of flea beetles. And it’s no wonder that within a few days they are capable of bringing to nothing all the efforts of gardeners hoping to get a good harvest.
Recognizing the presence of these pests on a plot won’t be difficult. A vegetable crop withering and wilting before your eyes, a clear slowing of its growth, leaf blades turned into something like a herbarium – these changes will immediately point to the destructive work of flea beetles.
Flea beetles mainly attack crops from the cruciferous family – and devour them with great pleasure. Beets, cabbage, lettuce, turnip greens, radish, turnips, and other plants are always subject to merciless invasion by the voracious beetles.
How to get rid of these parasites: 4 methods
The fight against these perennial garden pests requires patience and a certain ingenuity. For example, if you sprinkle dry mustard or ash on the beds where cruciferous crops grow, the flea beetles will hastily leave that plot.
A mixture of tobacco powder together with ground black pepper – is another effective remedy that repels the insatiable beetles. The scent of marigolds, calendula, and nasturtium in the vicinity of, say, cabbage or rutabaga is extremely unpleasant to flea beetles.
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