Flea Beetle

Natural Habitat

Found in vegetable gardens, agricultural fields, and greenhouses, particularly on solanaceous plants like tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants.

Diet & Feeding

Adults chew small, round holes in the leaves of host plants (shothole damage); larvae typically feed on the roots of the same plants.

Behavior Patterns

Excellent jumpers that use enlarged hind legs to leap away when disturbed. They overwinter as adults in leaf litter or soil and emerge in spring to feed and lay eggs.

Risks & Benefits

Risk: They are significant garden pests that can defoliate young plants and transmit bacterial diseases like wilt and blight; Benefit: Minimal, though they serve as a food source for some predatory insects and birds.

Identified on: 6/9/2026