Crucifer flea beetle

Phyllotreta cruciferae

Flea beetle adults are small (1/15 to 1/6 inch long) with enlarged hind legs that allow them to jump several inches at a time. Flea beetles are also strong fliers, moving into crop fields from neighboring fields and weedy borders.
Overwintering flea beetle adults emerge in mid- to late spring, become more active when the days get warmer, and move into fields as their preferred host plants become available. The adults actively search for emerging host plants using visual as well as chemical/olfactory (smell) cues. Adult flea beetles deposit their eggs in the soil at the base of a host plant where larvae hatch from eggs, feed on below-ground portions of the plant, and then pupate in the soil. Adults emerge to feed on above-ground foliage, then overwinter under protective plant debris (e.g., leaf litter), in grassy and woody field borders, and in ditch banks. Depending on location, one to multiple generations of flea beetles are completed annually. Generally, warmer temperatures allow for more flea beetle generations to be completed.

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