Pests & diseases › Flea Beetle
Flea Beetle
Tiny black beetles that ping into the air when disturbed. Pepper leaves of rocket, radish, mustard and brassica seedlings with shotgun-style holes.
Symptoms
- Hundreds of tiny round holes peppering young leaves
- Seedlings stripped to skeletons
- Older plants survive but look ugly
- Worst in warm dry spells
Lifecycle
Adults active April to September. Worst in hot dry weather.
What to do
- Brush a sticky board over the bed — beetles jump up and stick
- Water seedlings well — they prefer dry conditions
- Yellow sticky traps just above plants
If it's bad
- Pyrethrum spray on heavy infestations
Stop it coming back
- Cover with insect-proof mesh from sowing
- Sow rocket and radish in autumn or early spring — flea beetle activity lower
- Keep soil moist — beetles avoid damp seedbeds
- Mulch with grass clippings around survivors
Crops it goes for
Plan the plot, track every sowing, cook the harvest
Sowing reminders and harvest forecasts for your own frost dates, the Seed Tin, Scan Centre for any label or packet, and the Potty Mouth Garden Club. Free to start.