Description of the Pest
Flea beetle adults are small (about 0.125 inch long), shiny, hard beetles with enlarged hind legs that allow them to jump. Different species (e.g. palestriped flea beetle and potato flea beetle) vary in color and markings. Larvae live primarily in the soil, although larvae in a few of the species may mine leaves or plant stems. Larvae are pale yellow to white with short legs and dark, hard heads. Older larvae may resemble small wireworms.
Damage
Adult flea beetles feed on the undersides of leaves leaving small pits or irregularly shaped holes on the leaves. Large populations can kill or stunt seedlings. Older plants rarely suffer economic damage, although their older, lower leaves may be damaged. Adults do most of the damage. Most flea beetle larvae feed on roots, but this activity is not usually of economic concern in peppers.
Management
Flea beetles are common seedling pests, and monitoring newly emerged seedlings is critical for detecting a damaging population. Weed control around the field and using transplants also help to minimize damage by these pests.
Cultural Control
Remove weeds along field margins and deeply disc plant residue in infested fields after harvest. Pay particular attention to cruciferous (Brassicaceae) weeds and crops such as canola, which are common hosts from which beetles can migrate into pepper fields. Transplanting peppers usually avoids the problem unless beetle populations are extremely high.
Organically Acceptable Methods
Cultural controls and sprays of pyrethrin are acceptable for use on organically certified produce.
Monitoring and Treatment Decisions
Check newly emerged seedlings or recently planted transplants for flea beetle damage at least twice weekly until plants are well established. Relatively low populations can cause economic damage when plants are in the cotyledon or first-leaf stages. Once plants have five leaves they can tolerate several beetles per plant without damage. Older plants are even more tolerant. Seedling pepper plants and young transplants do not tolerate flea beetle damage well, and they may be killed if the weather is especially hot, dry, and windy. Damage is generally greater to seedlings than to transplants.
Monitor for flea beetles soon after transplanting or after plants emerge. Treat for flea beetles when small holes show on seedlings or on new transplants. The percentage of plants affected and forecast weather conditions will indicate the need to treat. Once established, plants can overcome moderate flea beetle feeding. If flea beetles are migrating to the pepper field, spot treatment of outside rows or borders may be sufficient. Baits are not effective. One insecticide treatment is usually all that is required.
Pesticides and Natural Enemy Releases
Not all registered pesticides are listed. The following are ranked by their IPM value, with the most effective and least harmful to natural enemies, honey bees, and the environment listed at the top of the table. When choosing a pesticide, consider information related to water and air quality, resistance management, and the pesticide's properties and application timing. Use PestManage to compare summarized management options for different pests in the same crop. Always carefully read the label of the product being used and take all necessary precautions when handling pesticides.
| Rank | Active ingredient | Example trade name | Group | Group Order | MoA 1 | Amount per acre | REI (hours) ‡ | PHI (days) ‡ | Comments | Selectivity 2 | Bees 3 | Predatory mites 4 | Predators 5 | Parasitoids 5 | Residue duration 6 | Leaching(fish) 7 | Adsorbed runoff(fish) 8 | Solution runoff(human) 9 | Leaching(human) 10 | Solution runoff(human) 11 | Last updated 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Brigade 2EC | Application Timing Varies (See UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines and Label) | 8 |
3A |
2.1–6.4 fl oz | 12 | 7 | Highly toxic to bees; do not spray direc... | broad | high | high | high | long | intermediate | low | extra high | very low | intermediate | 06/2016 | ||
| Sevin XLR Plus | Application Timing Varies (See UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines and Label) | 8 |
1A |
0.5–1 qt | 12 | 3 | Thorough coverage is important. Do not u... | — | — | — | — | — | low | low | intermediate | low | low | 06/2016 | |||
|
|
Venom | Application Timing Varies (See UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines and Label) | 8 |
4A |
1–4 oz | 12 | 1 | Toxic to bees; do not spray directly or... | narrow | low | — | low | short | very low | low | low | very low | low | 06/2016 | ||
|
|
Venom | Application Timing Varies (See UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines and Label) | 8 |
4A |
5–6 oz | 12 | 21 | Toxic to bees; do not spray directly or... | narrow | low | — | low | short | very low | low | low | very low | low | 06/2016 | ||
|
|
Asana XL | Application Timing Varies (See UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines and Label) | 8 |
3A |
5.8–9.6 fl oz | 12 | 7 | Do not exceed 0.35 lb a.i./acre per seas... | broad | high | moderate | high | moderate | high | intermediate | extra high | low | intermediate | 06/2016 | ||
|
|
Pounce 25 WP | Application Timing Varies (See UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines and Label) | 8 |
3A |
6.4–12.8 oz | 12 | 3 | For use on bell peppers only. Do not app... | broad | low | high | high | long | intermediate | low | extra high | very low | intermediate | 06/2016 | ||
|
|
PyGanic EC 1.4 II # | Application Timing Varies (See UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines and Label) | 8 |
3A |
16 oz | 12 | 0 | Begin applications when insects first ap... | broad | — | moderate | moderate | short | low | low | high | very low | intermediate | 06/2016 |
Legend
- ‡ a b Restricted entry interval (REI) is the number of hours (unless otherwise noted) from treatment until the treated area can be safely entered without personal protective equipment. Preharvest interval (PHI) is the number of days from treatment to harvest. In some cases, the REI exceeds the PHI. The longer of the two intervals is the minimum time that must elapse before harvest.
- * a Permit required from county agricultural commissioner for purchase or use.
- # ↩ Acceptable for use on certified organic crops. Check with your certifier to confirm before application.
- 1 ↩ Group numbers for insecticides and miticides are assigned by the Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC). Insecticides with unknown modes of action are assigned mode-of-action group numbers (MoAs) that begin with UN. Rotate pesticides with a different mode-of-action group number, and do not use products with the same mode-of-action group number more than twice per season to help prevent the development of resistance. For example, the organophosphates have a group number of 1B; insecticides with a 1B group number should be alternated with insecticides that have a group number other than 1B.
- 2 ↩ Range of insect and mite groups affected by a pesticide. Broad means the pesticide affects most groups of insects and mites; narrow means the pesticide affects only a few specific groups.
- 3 ↩ Risk of harm to honey bees. For more information, see Bee Precaution Pesticide Ratings.
- 4 ↩ Risk of harm to predatory mites. Toxicities are generally to western predatory mite, Galendromus occidentalis. Where differences have been measured in toxicity of the pesticide-resistant strain versus the native strain, these are listed as pesticide-resistant strain or native strain.
- 5 a b Risk of harm to parasitoids and general predators. Toxicities are averages of reported effects and should be used only as a general guide. Actual toxicity of a specific insecticide depends on factors including the application rate, environmental conditions, and the life stage and species of a parasitoid or predator.
- 6 ↩ Length of time residue affects natural enemies. Short means hours to days; moderate means days to 2 weeks; and long means many weeks or months.
- 7 ↩ Risk of harm to fish from leaching, based on USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Windows Pesticide Screening Tool (WIN-PST).
- 8 ↩ Risk of harm to fish from adsorbed runoff, based on USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Windows Pesticide Screening Tool (WIN-PST).
- 9 ↩ Risk of harm to fish from solution runoff, based on USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Windows Pesticide Screening Tool (WIN-PST).
- 10 ↩ Risk of harm to humans from leaching, based on USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Windows Pesticide Screening Tool (WIN-PST).
- 11 ↩ Risk of harm to humans from solution runoff, based on USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Windows Pesticide Screening Tool (WIN-PST).
- 12 ↩ Date information was last updated in the UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines.
UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines: Peppers
UC ANR Publication 3460
E.T. Natwick (emeritus), UC Cooperative Extension Imperial County
J.T. Trumble, Entomology, UC Riverside
J.L. Aguiar, UC Cooperative Extension Riverside County
Acknowledgement for Contributions to Invertebrates
W.J. Bentley (emeritus), UC IPM and Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Parlier
W.E. Chaney (emeritus), UC Cooperative Extension Monterey County
R.L. Coviello, UC Cooperative Extension Fresno County
C.F. Fouche, UC Cooperative Extension San Joaquin County
C.G. Summers (emeritus), Entomology, UC Davis and Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Parlier
