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What is it?
Tomato flea beetles are a form of beetles which jump in the same or a similar manner as fleas, but are tomato flea beetles are unrelated to fleas. Both adult and mature tomato flea beetles can be of harm and cause extensive damage to the tomato plants in the garden at various stages of their growth and development. Tomato flea beetles are also known to spread the disease known as bacterial spot which is a prime killer of tomato plants in the garden.
What does it look like?
Tomato plant flea beetles are tiny, shiny and a very dark black. Tomato plant flea beetles grow only up to 1/16 inch and they will jump just like fleas when they are disturbed or moved for any reason. Tomato plants with flea beetle damage will have holes in their leaves which look almost as if they have been shot with a shotgun they are so riddled with openings. These flea beetle damage holes are usually about 1/8 inch in diameter but may join together to form larger openings as the tomato flea beetles feed. The tomato flea beetles chew the tomato leaves from the undersides and seedlings and young tomato transplants are especially susceptible. Often in many cases entire tomato plants can wither, wilt, and die if left untreated, regardless of their stage of development.
How does it manifest?
Tomato flea beetles start out as legless whitish grey grubs which have hatched from eggs that have been laid be female flea beetles in the surrounding soil. These legless grubs feed on the roots and undersides of leaves in tomato plants for approximately two to three weeks after they have hatched. After then pupating in the soil, tomato flea beetles emerge as mature adults and begin the process again feeding for up to two months on tomato plants and reproducing quickly, creating up to four generations of mature flea beetles each growing season. As adult beetles, they chew holes in the tomato plant leaves, leaving them looking riddled as if by a shotgun. These tomato plant leaves quickly wither, dry out and die. Adult tomato flea beetles may feed for a period of up to two months prior to over wintering in the soil and garden plant debris to emerge and repeat the cycle of feeding and destruction to new tomato plants in the spring.
What can you do about it?
When you see the first signs of tomato flea beetle damage on leaves in your garden, use an insecticide which contains either carbaryl, pyrethrins, methoxychlor, or diazinon to help control these tomato plant pests. Each time new tomato plant growth is affected, or you find further damage to your tomato plants, you will need to repeat the application of the chosen insecticide. You can repeat the insecticide treatment safely every seven days if necessary. Additionally, make sure to clear away all plant debris which can harbor flea beetles insects and eggs which can overwinter in soil surrounding tomato plants or in the plant debris.
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