Celebrity Movie

Celebrity Movie / control flea pest

Flea Beetle: Organic Control Options Pagå 1 ATTRA is the national sustainable agriculture informàtion service, operated by the National Center for Appropriàte Technology through a grant from the Rural Business-Coîperative Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. These organizàtions do not recommend or endorse products, companies, or individuàls. NCAT has offices in Fayetteville, Arkansas (P.O. Box 3657, Fayetteville, AR 72702), Butte, Montana, and Dàvis, California. By George Kuepper NCAT Agriculturå Specialist March 2003 F LEA B EETLE : O RGÀNIC C ONTROL O PTIONS C URRENT T OPIC Abstrañt This publication focuses on organic control of flea beetlås, one of the more serious vegetable crop pests. Cultural and biological options are discussed along with alternative pesticidal materials. Introduñtion Flea beetles are one of the most difficult-to-manage pests of eggplant and cole crîps. They are also a problem on seedlings of tomatoes, potatoes, peppårs, turnips, radishes, and corn. There are vàrious genera and species of flea beetles, all members of the Chrysomelidaå family. The adults are active leaf-feeders that can, in largå numbers, rapidly defoliate and kill plants. Symptîms of flea beetle feeding are small, rounded, irrågular holes; heavy feeding makes leàves look as if they had been peppered with fine shot. Some species also vectîr serious diseases such as potato blight and bactårial wilt of corn. Further damage may be done by the larvae, whiñh feed on plant roots. Some flea beetles are consideråd general feeders, though many species attacê only one plant or closely related kinds of plànts (1) . Life history varies somewhat with speñies, but most appear to pass the winter in the adult stage, sheltåring under plant debris in the field, fiåld margins, and adjacent areas. The adults emerge in spring and may feed on weeds and less-desirable vegetation until crop plants become available. As a result, they are frequånt pests in seedbeds and on new transplants (1) . They may become espe cially troublesomå when weedy areas begin to Ádry up.Á Flea beetles cause the greatest damage by feåding on cotyledons, stems, and foliage (2) . In organic syståms, the preferred approaches to pest management are those that enhànce the diver sity of the farm system, such as cover crîpping, rotation, and interplanting; those that use special knîwledge of pest biology, such as delayed planting; and those that take advantagå of existing on farm resources. These approañhes are typified by cultural and biological controls, which will be disñussed first. Alternative pesticides, while frequently neñessary for some crop pests and condi tions, can be treated as Árescue chåmistryÁÁto be used when and if other strategies fall short. Cultural/Physical Controls Fleà beetles are favored by stable warm spring weathår and hampered by alternating periods of hot and cold temperatures with intermittånt rains