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Question: The leaves of my eggplant are covered with tiny holes. I would like to keep my garden organic if possible. Do you have any ideas on what the cause may be and how to control the damage?

Answer: Flea beetles are a common pest of many vegetables, flowers and ornamental trees and shrubs. Most flea beetles stay on a narrow range of plants. Even though their bite is very small the damage can be quit extensive. Their feeding on eggplant can delay the establishment of seedlings or even kill them. Most of the damage is seen on the leaves but the larval stage can be doing damage on the roots.

Over the winter the adult flea beetles remain near the soil surface in leaf litter or brushy woody areas. They emerge in the spring when temperatures approach 50 degrees and begin feeding on crops. The females will begin to lay their eggs at the base of the plants. The eggs will hatch in one to two weeks and begin feeding on the plants until full grown. From there they pupate in the soil for 11 to 13 days emerging as adults. Knowing the life cycle and delaying the planting dates of susceptible crops until overwintering beetles have emerged will help reduce damage.

Flea beetles are small insects around 1/16th to 1/8th long ranging in color from black, to bluish. When disturbed they quickly jump away. As the flea beetles eat they create shallow pits and multiple small rounded, irregular shaped holes in the leaves creating a shot hole appearance. Most of the damage occurs in spring but susceptible plants should be monitored throughout the growing season. Yellow sticky traps placed around the plants can help monitor their activity. When the plant has developed four or five leaves and is well established it will tolerate damage much more than young transplants. Normally control is not necessary during the summer.

To control flea beetles several options exist from cultural, physical, biological, and insecticidal. Weeding around the planting sites will cut out the food sources for the larvae and lessen the population. Remove old crop debris to cut down on protective winter cover. Early in the plants development, before the flowering stage, using floating row covers to exclude the beetles will cut down on damage. There is also a native wasp that kills the adult beetle and sterilizes the female flea beetle. If chemical control is warranted, there are many insecticides labeled for treatment. Spinosad is labeled as an effective pesticide for organic gardens in controlling flea beetles.

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njaes.rutgers.edu/extension

609-625-0056

Fax: 609-625-3646

Cooperative Extension of Atlantic County

6260 Old Harding Highway

Mays Landing, NJ 08330-1533

Homeowner Questions

Answered by:

Mona Bawgus, Consumer Horticulturist

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