The striped flea beetle is a member of the leaf beetle family. It is known for being a pest of Brassica plants, mainly cabbage.
Size: 1.5 to 2.5 mm
Color: They are shiny black with a touch of green and wavy amber lines on their elytra.
Other Characteristic Features: These beetles have thick and strong hind legs helping them jump as fast as a flea when provoked or disturbed.
They are white with brown heads, measuring about 3.2 to 5.0 mm. There are three pairs of small legs close to its head. For about 3-4 weeks, the larvae will feed on the roots of the host plant.
Pupae are white and 2-4 mm long, resembling adults in shape and size. Pupation takes place incol3 an earthen cell, the entire phase lasting for 7-10 days.
Females lay eggs near the host plant on the surface of the soil. The eggs are white, shaped like elongated ovals.
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Distribution | Native: Eurasia Invasive: The United States, particularly the eastern and Pacific areas, South Africa |
| Habitat | Fields |
| Seasons active | Late Spring to early Summer |
| Predators | Braconid wasps, nematodes |
| Host plants | Cabbage and mustard plants |
| Diet of adults | Leaves and cotyledons of host plants |
While the larvae are known to feed on the host plant’s roots, minimal damage is caused by them. The adult beetles do the most harm, making a small round hole in the leaves and cotyledons of young plants using their chewing mouthparts. This takes a toll on the whole plant, and as it grows the thin tissues eventually die and shed off leading to shot holes in the leaves.
Image Source: static.inaturalist.org, bugguide.net, canolacouncil.org, objects.liquidweb.services
The striped flea beetle is a member of the leaf beetle family. It is known for being a pest of Brassica plants, mainly cabbage.
Size: 1.5 to 2.5 mm
Color: They are shiny black with a touch of green and wavy amber lines on their elytra.
Other Characteristic Features: These beetles have thick and strong hind legs helping them jump as fast as a flea when provoked or disturbed.
They are white with brown heads, measuring about 3.2 to 5.0 mm. There are three pairs of small legs close to its head. For about 3-4 weeks, the larvae will feed on the roots of the host plant.
Pupae are white and 2-4 mm long, resembling adults in shape and size. Pupation takes place incol3 an earthen cell, the entire phase lasting for 7-10 days.
Females lay eggs near the host plant on the surface of the soil. The eggs are white, shaped like elongated ovals.
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Distribution | Native: Eurasia Invasive: The United States, particularly the eastern and Pacific areas, South Africa |
| Habitat | Fields |
| Seasons active | Late Spring to early Summer |
| Predators | Braconid wasps, nematodes |
| Host plants | Cabbage and mustard plants |
| Diet of adults | Leaves and cotyledons of host plants |
While the larvae are known to feed on the host plant’s roots, minimal damage is caused by them. The adult beetles do the most harm, making a small round hole in the leaves and cotyledons of young plants using their chewing mouthparts. This takes a toll on the whole plant, and as it grows the thin tissues eventually die and shed off leading to shot holes in the leaves.
Image Source: static.inaturalist.org, bugguide.net, canolacouncil.org, objects.liquidweb.services
