Flea beetle infestation

[heirloomgal]

You can always smear some molasses on a piece of cardboard and go around jostling the plants with it - as the flea beetles jump they'll stick to your molasses board. You can catch quite a lot that way. I don't think it's so much that a particular bed can be infested they just like certain spots when there is new and tender growth, as your plants grow they tend to disappear.

 

[HoleySmokes]

They're back. You can see one of the little evil black specks in the photo below. I think the bed is infected. I wonder if I can use it ever again.

Put 1 tablespoon of Dawn Ultra in a gallon of water and spray them. Wait about 2 weeks and repeat.

 

[flowerbug]

They're back. You can see one of the little evil black specks in the photo below. I think the bed is infected. I wonder if I can use it ever again.
View attachment 57586

i guess i'm immune to caring about this in my own gardens because they don't kill the plants completely and eventually the plants outgrow the damage. i don't need things to look perfect they just have to survive and give me flowers or other produce. since they do survive i've never taken any action to try to control them. they are in certain gardens and not at all in others. it seems they like sandy spots that get moist (lower down) which makes sense from their name. i've never seen fleas in the wild other than sand fleas at the beach.

 

[Jane23]

i guess i'm immune to caring about this in my own gardens because they don't kill the plants completely and eventually the plants outgrow the damage. i don't need things to look perfect they just have to survive and give me flowers or other produce. since they do survive i've never taken any action to try to control them. they are in certain gardens and not at all in others. it seems they like sandy spots that get moist (lower down) which makes sense from their name. i've never seen fleas in the wild other than sand fleas at the beach.

Last year they decimated my kale. I dug up the bed and put in a new layer of soil, so I dont know. Its when there’s only a couple, but last years were crawling with them. Like 200 to a plant.

 

[Cosmo spring garden]

Last year they decimated my kale. I dug up the bed and put in a new layer of soil, so I dont know. Its when there’s only a couple, but last years were crawling with them. Like 200 to a plant.

The kill my eggplants each year. They also love my potatoes but not as much as the eggplants.

 

[flowerbug]

the only thing that seems possible for improving the situation might be to try to bury all your garden debris deeply enough that the beetles can't reach it easily and see how that goes.

the other thing i see is early season row covers for the most vulnerable plants.

i see there are various recipes for sprays but i don't go there if i can help it.

sticky traps might help, but i also don't do those either.