PEST PROFILES: BEETLES

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Flea Beetle Click on image to view larger.

Flea beetles Description: Adult flea beetles are small (1/4 inch or smaller) leaf-feeding beetles with hind legs enlarged for jumping. The potato flea beetle, and eggplant flea beetle, are black. Some species are brown or metallic. Other species have white stripes on their wing covers, such as the striped flea beetle. Damage: Adult beetles chew small round or irregularly-shaped holes in plant leaves, and feed on the leaves of wild, ornamental, and vegetable plants. Larval stages feed on roots and tubers. Larvae of some species feed on or in foliage or tunnel into plant stems. Life cycle: Generally adult beetles spend the winter in leaf litter and become active in spring. They migrate to gardens and oviposit eggs singly or in clusters in the soil, in plant stems or on leaves, depending on species. Eggs hatch in about 10 days. Larvae are whitish, 1/8 to 1/4 inch long, and have tiny legs behind a dark colored head capsule. After feeding for 3 to 4 weeks, they pupate and emerge in 7 to 10 days. Several generations can occur per year.