Test your flea beetle knowledge with these five questions…
Flea beetle
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With hot, dry conditions, canola seedlings already under pressure from intense flea beetle feeding dried out and died… -
Cool, windy, wet weather can delay flea beetle emergence. Peak emergence of the crucifer flea beetle occurs when ground temperatures reach 15°C, which is why perhaps it seems numbers are lower in many areas so far this year. They just haven’t come out yet in large numbers… -
A few flea beetles in a field are not worth the time and investment to spray. They will not cause economic losses. Only when defoliation reaches 25% across the field and feeding pressure continues does it make sense to spray for flea beetles…
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The economic thresholds – the point at which foliar insecticide provides an economic benefit – could be when damage reaches 50%, but leaf area loss can reach this stage fairly quickly when flea beetle numbers are high, they are actively feeding, and damage is already at 25%… -
While only a small percentage of canola fields tend to require flea beetle management in addition to seed treatment, all fields should be monitored to assess the potential threat. Begin monitoring right after emergence and through until at least the four-leaf stage. Seed treatment can be effective through most of this period, but slow starting or slow growing crops under… -
Canola fields at greatest risk from flea beetles — therefore fields most likely to need a spray — tend to be those seeded early and that went through a long stretch of slow growth…
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Here is how to make the flea beetle spray decision… -
Flea beetles are feeding on volunteer and early-seeded canola but their presence does not mean they need to be sprayed…
