1. Insect
  2. Vegetable Crops
  3. Vegetable Crops
  4. Hosts and Pests of Vegetable Crops

Radish-Flea beetle

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Image related to Radish-Flea beetle
Cabbage flea beetle
Phyllotreta cruciferae Goetze
Adult
© Ken Gray Insect Image Collection

Including cabbage flea beetle (Phyllotreta cruciferae)

Pest description, crop damage and life history

See:

Common Pests of Vegetable Crops

Pest monitoring Monitor fields for flea beetles soon after transplanting or as seedlings emerge. Flea beetles attacking the cotyledons of emerging broccoli seedlings can destroy a new planting in 24 hours.

Treat for flea beetles when small holes show on transplants or on plants from seeded fields. Young plants (three to five leaves) often withstand flea beetle injury, but they may be killed if the weather is dry and windy. The percentage of plants affected and forecasted weather conditions will indicate the need to treat.

When the flea beetles on seedlings are migrating from hosts outside of the field, most of the infestation will be localized within 200 feet of field borders. Check the distribution of leaf feeding to see if this is the case, and consider border treatments only. If high populations exist 1 to 2 weeks before harvest, and foliage is declining as a food source for the beetles, spot treat according to the flea beetle distribution.

Management-cultural control

Reduce weed hosts. Floating row covers or other screening can be used to exclude the beetles during seedling establishment of high value crops. Flea beetles can be vacuumed off foliage, but this practice must be repeated frequently. Reinvasion of plants can be rapid.

Management-chemical control: HOME USE

  • azadirachtin (neem oil)-Some formulations are OMRI-listed for organic use.
  • bifenthrin
  • carbaryl
  • cyfluthrin
  • deltamethrin
  • esfenvalerate
  • imidacloprid
  • kaolin-Applied as a spray to foliage, it acts as a repellent to some insect pests. Some formulations are OMRI-listed for organic use.
  • permethrin
  • pyrethrins-Some formulations are OMRI-listed for organic use.
  • spinosad-Some formulations are OMRI-listed for organic use.
  • zeta-cypermethrin

Management-chemical control: COMMERCIAL USE

  • alpha-cypermethrin (Fastac EC) at 0.012 to 0.025 lb ai/a. PHI 1 day. REI 12 hr. Retreatment interval 4 days. Do not exceed 0.075 lb ai/a per season.
  • beta-cyfluthrin (Baythroid XL) at 0.013 to 0.022 lb ai/a. PHI 0 days. REI 12 hr. Retreatment interval 7 days. Do not exceed 0.11 lb ai/a per season.
  • beta-cyfluthrin/imidacloprid (Leverage 360) at 0.056 to 0.066 lb ai/a. PHI 7 days. REI 12 hr. Retreatment interval 7 days. Do not exceed 0.022 lb ai/a beta-cyfluthrin or 0.044 lb ai/a imidacloprid per season.
  • bifenthrin (Brigade WSB) at 0.08 to 0.1 lb ai/a. PHI 21 days. REI 12 hr. Do not exceed 0.5 lb ai/a per season. Retreatment interval 7 days.
  • bifenthrin/zeta-cypermethrin (Hero EW) at 0.04 to 0.1 lb ai/a. PHI 21 days. REI 12 hr. Retreatment interval 21 days. Do not exceed 0.44 lb ai/a per season. Oriental radish (Daikon) only.
  • carbaryl (Sevin 4F) at 0.5 to 1 lb ai/a. PHI 7 days. REI 12 hr. Do not exceed 6 lb ai/a per season. Retreatment interval 7 days.
  • cyfluthrin (Tombstone) at 0.025 to 0.044 lb ai/a. PHI 0 days. REI 12 hr. Retreatment interval 7 days. Do not exceed 0.22 lb ai/a per season.
  • cyfluthrin/imidacloprid (Leverage 2.7) at 0.074 lb ai/a. PHI 7 days. REI 12 hr. Retreatment interval 7 days. Do not exceed 0.03 lb ai/a cyfluthrin or 0.04 lb ai/a imidacloprid per year.
  • deltamethrin (Delta Gold) at 0.018 to 0.028 lb ai/a. PHI 3 days. REI 12 hr. Retreatment interval 3 days. Do not exceed 0.14 lb ai/a per season.
  • esfenvalerate (Asana XL) at 0.03 to 0.05 lb ai/a. PHI 7 days. REI 12 hr. Do not exceed 0.1 lb ai/a per season.
  • imidacloprid (Admire Pro) at 0.16 to 0.38 lb ai/a or 0.011 to 0.027 lb ai/1,000 row ft soil; 0.044 lb ai/a foliar. Do not exceed 0.13 lb ai/a foliar or 0.38 lb ai/a per season. PHI 7 days foliar, 21 days soil. REI 12 hr.
  • imidacloprid (Provado, Prey) at 0.044 lb ai/a. PHI 7 days. REI 12 hr. One application per season. Do not exceed 0.044 lb ai/a per season.
  • malathion (Malathion 8) at 1 lb ai/a. PHI 7 days. REI 12 hr. Retreatment interval 7 days. Limit 3 treatments.
  • spinosad (Success, Entrust SC) at 0.047 to 0.094 lb ai/a. PHI 3 days. REI 4 hr. Retreatment interval 5 days. Do not exceed 0.28 lb ai/a per season. Limit 3 treatments. Entrust SC is OMRI-listed for organic use.
  • thiamethoxam (Actara) at 0.023 to 0.047 lb ai/a. PHI 7 days. REI 12 hr. Retreatment interval 7 days. Do not exceed 0.063 lb ai/a per season.
  • thiamethoxam (Platinum) at 0.078 to 0.1 lb ai/a soil treatment. REI 12 hr. Do not exceed 0.063 lb ai/a per season. See label for recommended in-row application instructions.
  • zeta-cypermethrin (Mustang) at 0.05 lb ai/a. PHI 7 days. REI 12 hr. Retreatment interval 7 days. Do not exceed 0.3 lb ai/a per year.