fighting flea beatles

[Geosojda]

Anyone have any tried and true methods for getting rid of these #*$&'s?

 

[Mister_Al]

Plant a couple of eggplants around the garden and the flee beatles will go to them and leave your peppers alone.

Alan

 

[Chillihead_benny]

here is some info.. if ya want:

http://www.uvm.edu/v...fleabeetle.html

looks like their only method of organic solution to the beetle problem is row covers.


i actually did the nematode option this year.. i think it worked well.. only some beetles and the peppers are growing faster than the beetles can eat.

 

[MisterBigglesworth]

Plant a couple of eggplants around the garden and the flee beatles will go to them and leave your peppers alone.

Alan

True dat. I have two sacrificial eggplants.

 

[RedtailForester]

I tried a couple things that have worked VERY well. I dusted all of my plant with diatomaceous earth and sprayed beneficial nematodes all over my yard to kill the next generation. Planted an eggplant as a trap-crop and waited until the little bastids started feeding on the eggplant. When I started noticing beetles feeding, I dusted the eggplant heavily. I haven't noticed any since...

 

[synclinorium]

I concur on sacrificial eggplants... I was going to actually grow some this year, but after seeing how well they keep the flea beetles away from my other plants they've found a new purpose.

I hear interplanting with radish can have the same effect.

 

[Avon Barksdale]

You could probably use tomatillos as a trap crop too. They go ape poop on my tomatillos and don't bother anything else.

 

[Geosojda]

thanks for the advice folks! They arn't a huge problem, yet, but have affected a few plants, most are bigg enough not to be hurt but some of the younger ones have been eaten a bit.

 

[RedtailForester]

They may not be a problem now, but those little pricks overwinter and can be there for your seedlings next season! Slaughter them now!!!