Flea Beetles: What They Are & How To Control Them In Your Garden

The flea beetle population this year in southern Colorado is booming. I’m not sure if it has to do with the weather patterns we’ve been experiencing this winter and spring -or- if it has to do more with the nice sampling of plants I’ve planted out for them. 

Either way, I’ve seen a major surge of beetles and a major surge of beetle damage. 

How can you tell you have flea beetles in your garden?

Here’s what you are looking for: these little nibbled holes in the foliage are referred to as “shotholes”, and are evidence that these tiny little critters are munching on your plants. 

Take a close look at the affected plants. If you move slowly, you’ll likely be able to see the flea beetles in the act. To me, they look like a fresh, shiny drop of black ink – they’re that small! 

As their name suggests, flea beetles have powerful back legs that allow them to jump away from any threats, and jump from plant to plant. 

What kind of damage can they do, and what do they eat?

In my experience, flea beetles love brassicas. 

So plants such as cabbage, cauliflower, radishes, mustard and kale are often most affected. But I have known them to get a taste for eggplant and nightshade leaves, too!

The good news? Flea beetles will usually not kill your garden. 

The bad news? They can do quite a bit of damage. 

For instance, the beetles may have found a plant they nibbled on in your neighbor’s yard. That plant may be harboring a disease you don’t know about. Then, these little guys jump ship and come to feast on your plants. 

Not only are they physically harming the foliage, they also have the capability of introducing and spreading disease. 

Not to mention, if your plant is still fairly young and the flea beetles eat quite a bit of the foliage, it may not kill the plant but it will certainly stunt its growth. 

I’ve weighed the pros and cons of a few pest control methods, and I think I’ve found the best method to work for me. 

Lime, Radishes & Strength

The correlation of these three words will make more sense in a few seconds. 

I prefer to avoid using harsh pesticides and fertilizers and such in my garden. I’m a certified wildlife habitat, which means I’ve taken it upon myself to do everything I can to keep native pollinators and wildlife safe. 

When you get an unbalanced pest versus predator situation like I have this year not only with flea beetles, but with roly polies as well, it takes a bit more research and thought into how to best treat the issue. 

In this case, I decided to come at this in three ways: by sprinkling lime on and around any affected plants, interplanting radishes with all of my brassicas and also making sure I plant out only the strongest seedlings. 

First Saturday lime is a great and safe pest control method for many pest issues you may have on your urban homestead. Sprinkle some on top and around the plants you’re wishing to save. 

The radishes are the trap crop in this situation, used as a sort of sacrifice for the health of the garden. 

Flea beetles absolutely love radish leaves for whatever reason. And more often than not, I have been able to still harvest decent sized radishes from them even with their tops nibbled on!

Another way to limit the damage flea beetles do to your crops is to only plant out strong, healthy and older seedlings. This can be frustrating if you like to push the season like I do here, but even just giving your seedlings a week head start inside will increase their chances of survival against these little bugs. 

Giving seedlings a chance to settle in and establish themselves before the flea beetles come out in full force has been a large factor into how I have not lost any plants yet this year.

That about summarizes my approach to flea beetles this year and what I have learned about them! A big thank you to the Colorado State University Extension for teaching me so much about these insects. If you have any further questions, drop a comment below!

As always, happy growing!

Becca 

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