My head hurts from trying to figure out what to do about this. How do I get rid of Apple Flea Beetles? There are hundreds of them all over Oenothera. I just wanted to dig up the plants but I'm concerned because the critters swarm everytime I get near the plants and I don't want them spreading . The bed they are in is over 30' long and just a couple of feet wide. The Oenothera is at one end and takes up maybe 2 and 1/2 feet, it (Oenothera) was here before I bought the house. I've filled the rest of the bed with plants to attract adult butterflies.
Anybody have any ideas other than covering myself and the plants in mosquito netting while I'm digging, lol that idea just came to me... I told you my head hurts!
Thanks
Angele
edited: added the word Oenothera after 'it' to be more clear
This message was edited Jul 6, 2009 11:46 AM
Need help with destructive beetle problem.
Don't know if your Apple Flea Beetle is like our Passion Vine Flea Beetle...but I had those beetles all over my passifloras one year. Since I raise and release butterflies I did not want to put out any chemicals - I was in a fix. No fritillaries or longwings had started laying eggs on them so I was able to spray the vines with soapy water. I used one of those plastic jars attached to a water hose - added a good dose of dishsoap and sprayed the vines every day for about a week. I left the soapy water on the vines for about an hour then rinsed them off thoroughly each time. It got rid of the flea beetles. I haven't noticed any explosion of them this year - but I have found a couple here and there which I quickly squish.
Look around your plants for the eggs they lay. The Passion Vine Flea Beetle lays them in a cluster as seen in the photo. I clip off the leaves I find with eggs and squish them too.
~ Cat
ps...I also get rid of the larva when I see them crawling around. Must be very careful though - because they look very much like hairstreak caterpillars.
~ Cat
Thanks so much Cat.
I have never used any pesticides except for soapy water and meant to write that in my original post. I didn't know if soapy water would be effective against beetles. It has been 24 hours, I haven't done anything yet, and while the oenothera is still covered in the beetles they haven't moved to any other plants - even ones touching it like pineapple sage.
Do you know if the soapy water kills them or do they just move on. I'd hate for them to find my veggie garden. Number one priority is not harming the butterflies, bees or birds. I don't care if the Oenothera gets devoured. When you used the soap on your passifloras did they attack any other plants? I've read some of the flea beetles are very selective about plants and some are omnivores! I'm guessing mine is pretty oenothera specific.
The Passion Flower Flea Beetles I had stuck just to the passiflora foetida. They didn't go to other passion flowers. Maybe it's because the eggs were laid on that and they did not fly off to look for more food as that plant was big enough to sustain them. Not sure exactly what the soapy water does but am thinking it gets into their digestive system and messes them up. I found many dead on the ground.
Perhaps you can post a photo in the bug forum and ask how to get rid of them. Hopefully someone else will have other ideas to eradicate them.
~ Cat