With global warming and the gradual increase in temperatures, pest infestations have become more prevalent. Flea beetle is one of the troublesome pests, widely known as a global agricultural pest. Flea beetle belongs to the order Coleoptera and the family Chrysomelidae. It has the most widely distribution in vegetable production areas across both northern and southern regions of China, primarily damaging cruciferous vegetables such as radishes, Chinese cabbage, mustard greens, choy sum, and Chinese broccoli. The adult insects, causing direct damage to vegetable crops, bite circular holes into the leaves, leading to reduced vegetable yields and quality of leafy greens.
Why are flea beetles so difficult to control? There are several main reasons:
1. Feigning death behavior:
When startled, the adult flea beetles jump off the leaves and briefly play dead after landing on the ground. Once they feel safe, they resume feeding, increasing the difficulty of control.
2. Strong jumping ability:
Flea beetles, named for its enlarged hind legs and excellent jumping ability, is highly sensitive to pesticides. Even slight pesticide misting can be detected, prompting immediate jumping or burrowing into the soil to avoid exposure.
3. High resistance:
Continuous cultivation of cruciferous vegetables and excessive use of chemical pesticides have led to the development of stronger resistance in flea beetles. Frequent use of the same pesticide accelerates the emergence of resistance.
4. Difficulties in pesticide application:
After mating, flea beetle lays eggs in the soil. The hatched larvae feed on roots, while the adults feed on leaves. This complicates pesticide application. To save labor or reduce costs, growers often resort to foliar spraying or root drenching, making comprehensive control efforts challenging.
What are some effective control methods?
1. Due to flea beetle’s strong jumping ability, it is important to spray pesticides from the field's edges towards the center to prevent adult insects with superior jumping capabilities from escaping.
2. Altering pesticide application practices: For specific vegetable fields, implementing techniques such as spraying or root application has shown promising results. These methods significantly reduce the interval between pesticide applications, usually achieving effective control within 15-30 days.
3. Scientific combination:
Beetliss from Brightmart added an exclusive adhesive that enables quick knockdown of flea beetles within 10 minutes. Once knocked down, the flea beetles remain dead, making it an indispensable pesticide for controlling flea beetles.
Beetliss（Acetamiprid 10% + Pyridaben 10% ME）
Product features:
1. Beetliss has strong knockdown activity, it can rapidly kill flea beetles, aphids, whiteflies, and other small pests.
2. Special additives added to Beetliss enhance its penetration, directly killing flea beetles, aphids, and whiteflies based on their biological characteristics
3. It has super strong adhesive force and spreading ability, ensuring stable and reliable efficacy.
4. Beetliss leaves no residue, has an environmentally friendly formulation, and can be safely applied.
Trial Results:
Crop: Leafy vegetables
Dosage: Dilute 20-30ml of Beetliss with 15L water
Target: Flea beetle
Before application 24 hours after application
