I am guessing that some of you might be dealing with flea beetles and may not know it. There are many different species of this pest.
Beetles have chewing mouth parts and chew holes in leaves. The damage doesn’t usually kill a plant, but it leaves it unsightly.
If flea beetles are feeding on vegetables, you can still eat them (get all of the beetles off first!), but they don’t look very appetizing. Earlier in the spring I had one species of flea beetles on my mustard and kale that made quite a mess.
This particular species was very tiny and black, about the size of a pin head. They chew small holes that dry out around the edges; they can riddle the leaf of kale and mustard greens quite rapidly.
Now I am dealing with a different species of flea beetle on my perennials. This one is black and is a little bit bigger. It appears to like all different types of perennials, including coneflower, rudbeckia, goldenrod, bee balm and a few others.
This flea beetle does the same as the other one, only the holes are a little bit larger. They eat the foliage and the petals of the flowers. Since populations are so high, the plants look awful.
I don’t usually spray pesticides on my vegetables, especially leafy vegetables that I am going to consume on a regular basis. Many of the pesticides that control beetles have to be sprayed several days prior to harvest, and timing doesn’t always work.
However, I have had enough of these flea beetles on my perennials that I sprayed this past Tuesday.
Pesticides that are labeled for trees, shrubs and flowers that have beetles listed on the label will work.
You may have trouble actually spotting the beetles. They move quickly when disturbed. If you walk up to the plant, you might see the black specks sitting on the flower or leaf but if you try to catch them, they are gone.
I am curious to know if any other people in the Miami Valley and southwest are dealing with these pests. Do you see holes chewed in the leaves of the above-mentioned perennials? Are you seeing the black beetles?
Send me an email (at bennett.27@osu.edu) if you are experiencing this type of damages.
I also mentioned Japanese beetles. The adults emerged this past week and will begin hunting for their favorite food sources. Be on the lookout for them. It will be interesting to see what the populations are this year compared to last.
Of course, the other problem I am dealing with now, thanks to the warm temperatures and the recent rains, is the weeds! Ugh!
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