Flea Beetles

[Vince]

Does anyone have problems with these nasty buggers? Last summer I planted my tomato seedlings in the ground for a fall crop and they took a pounding. Most survived and out grew the beetle attacks. None of my tomato plants have been affected this spring. On the other hand, my eggplant seedlings are nearly completley destroyed. Is there any organic way to control these creatures? Thanks.

Vince

[tjg911]

the only organic method i know of is covering with floating row covers or using sticky traps. fb are attracted to the color yellow, buy yellow cardboard or stiff paper or use plastic grocery bags (price chopper bags are yellow and the fb are attracted to them). attach paper to stick and coat the yellow with thin film of vaseline. for the bags, i never did this but i think it'll work. cut an 8" X 8" and tape or glue to cardboard. same film of vaseline.

fb attack things in the mustard family here, especially greens. they bother potatoes but not that bad. i never had a problem with tomatoes and fb.

tom

[grungy]

Actually a trap crop of turnips seems to help. I plant summer turnips around my garden just to keep flea beetles away from my "more" valuable vegetables. You can't expect any turnips but the rest of the veggies don't take the beating they normally would.
Grungy

[bluelacedredhead]

Grungy, do you use white turnips or Rutabaga??

[JimM_SC]

Last year I planted catnip next to each of my peppers and eggplants and had no flea beatle damage for the first time ever! My wife banished it from her herb garden 2 years ago because it self seeded too vigorously. I transplanted some between my cucumbers and last spring I had hundreds of seedlings. I had read that it repelled flea beatles and figured,'What the heck...' I will use it again this year - I'm growing 4 kinds of eggplant. Hope it will work as well for you,
Jim

[Suze]

Yes, I occasionally have probs with them -- usually w/eggplant, moreso than tomatoes. Flea beatles are tough to deal with if you get them. Sevin/carbaryl really does nail 'em (best done early in the season).

But since you said 'organic', a rotenone/pyrethrin combo can also be somewhat effective.

Row covers and just plain smooshing them can have some affect depending on the extent of the infestation and how diligent you are in monitoring the garden.

[grungy]

I use white turnips - the summer type.
Cheers,
Grungy

[miniedmo]

I had read to plant onions around the tomato plants because they do not like the smell. I am planting a lot of onions around the tomatos this year to see how this works.

[carolyn137]

I had read to plant onions around the tomato plants because they do not like the smell. I am planting a lot of onions around the tomatos this year to see how this works

*****

My organic friend Steve planted onions around all of his and my tomato plants for two years running and we saw no difference at all as to Flea Beetles, Colorado Potato Beetles, Stinkbugs or anything else.

Actually Steve swears by the use of Stinging Nettle tea that he brews up himself. Nasty stuff, say I, but he says it works and I, who also planted stuff in his garden, wasn't as enthusiastic based on what I saw.

Well I remember the day he called me and said he could NOT stand the CPB's on his potatoes and tomatoes and what was that stuff I had mentioned to him once? I said it was Colorado Potato Beetle beater, also organic, he went, he bought, he sprayed, and he was a happy man.

I have few problems with Flea Beetles on my tomatoes but they had the ability to shred my eggplant and potatoes to pieces and sometimes my cukes and melons.

I'd use, as Suze mentionmed above, the organic pyrethrin/rotenone combo as a spray and it did help, in some years. Don't ask me why in some years and not in all years. Using floating row covers was simply not an option for me considering the amount of stuff I used to raise in my half acre plot.

[maryinoregon]

Flea beetles can be a terrible tomato pest here. They do their destructive best in mid to late May, which is when I usually set out my tomato plants.

But a few years back I determinedly saved as many fall leaves from the trees around me as possible and raked them into the garden in large piles. I wanted to make better soil.

In May I raked some of the remaining leaves into compost piles and prepared the beds for tomato planting.

I soon started to notice little critters I had not seen before. I thought they might be termites. There were so many of them. I caught one in a jar and took it to the Extension Service. They identified it as a "red-headed soldier beetle." One of their favorite foods, although they did not tell me this at the time...flea beetles.

As a tomato fan, I walk through my garden every day inspecting the plants. One day it occured to me that the plants did not look like swiss cheese. Eureka! And it's been that way every year.

I don't know the range of red-headed soldier beetles, but they are handy here.

By the way, flea beetles don't bother my eggplants. Never have, even before I started composting like mad.

[miniedmo]

Would something like this be worth trying?

http://store.arbico-organics.com/ben...nematodes.html

[Vince]

Hey all,

Just wanted to say that neem/pyrethrin spray seems to work great for the egglants. My newer tomato transplants have fortunately been unmolested by the FBs. Thanks for the great advice everyone.

Vince