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Has your effort togrow a caboodle of beautiful eggplantsflopped because of flea beetle plague ?
I roll in the hay that feeling when things are going well in your vegetable garden , and everything look corking . Until one daylight you acknowledge diminished holes on the leaves of your eggplant .
Looking closely , you spot shameful slight insects at the cornerstone of your flora and some on the leafage surface .
They are the notorious flea beetles !
You panic and rightly so .
Because let ’s face it , flea beetle can severely hinder maturation and stunt untried plants and where the pest pressing is gamy , their eating activeness can lead in inconceivable industrial plant loss .
In this article , I am going to discuss 9 good path toget free of the notorious bugnaturally .
Flea Beetle Damage
Most damage is do by the adult feast on the cotyledons , stems and young leaves leaving characteristic pits and lowly holes ( blastoff - holing ) . The larvae feed in ' mines ' within the industrial plant tissue and some sometimes , the larvae also feed on the plant life roots .
In a late inquiry published in theJournal of Economic Entomology , eggplant flea mallet ( Epitrix fuscula ) can cause up to 60 % leaf damage with an equivalent of 40 – 60 % loss in yield .
That ’s monumental if you involve me !
This happens when flea beetles injure your eggplant leaves by chewing small shot pickle in them , which reduce the photosynthetic capacity of the plant , which , in turn , can reduce the sizing , weight , and overall yield .
This hurt can also stunt the growth of the flora or even kill seedling .
But even bad , flea beetles have been live to transmit viral and bacterial infections . And this have a much bigger risk to your plants .
This clause concentrate primarily on various ways you could control eggplant flea beetle without rough using coarse sum . But before then , you take to have a right diagnosing before dictate control measures .
permit ’s start by diagnosis :
How to identify flea beetles on your eggplant
Eggplant flea beetles are very small being straddle from 1/6 to 1/8 inch long . But as small as they are , you’re able to see them using a naked middle .
They have a across-the-board chain of mountains of colouring material but those that flak brinjal are mostly disgraceful .
In general , flea beetles have large back leg which they use for jump , especially when commove . They are able to travel up to a km in search of a worthy feeding and breeding ground .
If you find shallow nether region and small rounded , maverick holes ( ordinarily less than 1/8th inch ) in the leaf , it is almost always a sure polarity that your works have been overrun by flea beetles .
You may also be concerned to learnHow to Get Rid of Aphids Permanently
Flea Beetle life cycle –Epitrix fuscula(Crotch)
An eggplant flea mallet has at least two multiplication per yr , and can complete its life cycle from the egg to adult in 30–45 day .
They put their eggs at the floor of solanaceous works , typically the same plant the grownup are feeding on . The nut are laid in the spring as soon as the adults emerge from overwintering and are laid throughout the season .
The eggs require 6 to 8 days to hatch . After hatching , the larva burrow into the ground and provender on root hairs . The larva will last for about 20 mean solar day while the pupal stage lasts 1 - 4 day .
The adult come forth from the soil after pupation and seek host works . Eggplant flea beetles overwinter as adults in leafage litter , land , or debris near their host works .
During the time of year , they will be often found feeding together on the same host plants .
How to Control Flea Beetles on your Eggplant
locate yellowish sticky traps in your garden to see if you have flea mallet . And if so what ’s the threshold . A few beetles are no lucifer for a vigorously growing plant life . Therefore , only take action at law when there ’s an gain in number of beetles in your viscid traps .
Control weeds in and around planting sites to limit food sources for flea beetle . This is peculiarly important for those weeds in the solanecious family such as jimson weed , stinking nightshade , bittersweet nightshade , and violet nightshade .
viewing can avail in keeping the flea beetle aside from your young works .
Flea beetle are of course pull to tall growing plants . Especially if those industrial plant are radish . you could plant some radish originally than your mad apple . It is wanton to check the beetles when on radish than the eggplant
A flea mallet has an allergy for mint ! This mean if you plant raft next to harvest that attract flea beetle . They will be repel like magic . If you ’re worried that mint candy could turn invasive and get out of hand , consider growing them in potty . That way you have more restraint . you’re able to also use talc pulverization – its expectant smell repels beetle .
This is not as effective but it helps to reduce procreation . As we have already seen , adults lay eggs in the soil or rubble around the host plant . If you cover the dirt with amulching fabric , they ’ll have no room to lay their nut .
Eggplant is a hot conditions craw . If you put them in too early you are ask for problems . You should wait until the soil temperature is at least 70F. This will give them a headspring commencement . Before they are attack , they are already too warm and can hold minor damage .
Microctonus vittataeis a native braconid wasp . This wasp kill the adult flea mallet .
Here ’s how :
The distaff wasp utilize her ovipositor to lay ball just under the skin of an unlucky flea beetle .
As the egg hatch , the larvae feed on the beetle entrails literally eating a flea beetle live . Larvae masticate their way out through the host ’s skin when they mature .
Once outside , the future wasp pupate , spinning midget oval cocoon that look like louse eggs along the external back and side of meat of the beetle .
These fellows and madam are not just innocently hobble a ride . When the grownup wasps emerge from the cocoon , the already damp beetle will soon die , thus preventing any further damage on your eggplant bush .
But how do you draw in braconid wasp to your garden ?
Simple :
Plant white sweet alyssum ( Lobularia maritima)around your eggplants . These good glitch have a liking for this character of plant and in no clock time , they will be plenty in your garden .
I have written a comprehensive article that explains in detail which flora draw which good hemipteran . you’re able to find it here -12 Plants That Attract Ruthless Good Bugs
If all else neglect , straight spray your eggplant every 5 days with spinosad for 3 hebdomad .
My best recommendation isMonterey ’s Garden Insect Spraywhich contains Spinosad as an active element .
Spinosad is a raw essence made by a soil bacterium that can be toxic to insects . It is a mixture of two chemicals called spinosyn A and spinosyn D. It is used to control a wide variety of pests .
Spinosad affects the aflutter system of flea mallet that wipe out or touch it . It causes their muscles to flex uncontrollably . This lead to palsy and in the end their end , typically within 1 - 2 24-hour interval .
You do n’t have to worry about the environmental impingement because spinosad is broken down apace by sun . When applied to leave , some spinosad can be absorbed . However , it does not pronto diffuse from leaf to the rest of the flora .
Spinosad is much non - toxic to moderately toxic to angle depending on the species . But most significantly , grounds evoke that spinosad has little or no outcome on dear bees and other good louse after nebulizer have dry out .
For double effect , swamp the soil at foundation of the industrial plant with Neem Oil .
Conclusion
There you have it .
9 effective ways you could use to get free of flea beetles in your eggplant garden without hurt the environment .
Which one will you choose ?
