In many cases flea beetle damage is cosmetic. Simply cooking greens with a few holes in them, like the arugula at the top of the page, makes the blemishes disappear.
Is it OK to eat arugula with holes?
Treat Your Leafy Greens Carefully. If you are pretty sure the holes in your leafy vegetables were caused by insects or slugs, they should be safe to eat, as long as you wash them thoroughly, and remove any damaged portions.
What causes tiny holes in leaves?
Holes From Chewing Insects
Chewing insects eat leaves and make holes by biting or tearing leaves and grinding them with their tooth-like mandibles. Few plants — or plant parts — are safe from damage by chewing insects. Day-feeding Japanese beetles skeletonize the leaves of hundreds of plant species.
How do you treat holes in leaves?
Leaf miners burrow twisting tunnels across leaves. For both, treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil. Sucking insects poke tiny holes in leaves and draw the juices out of them. Common sucking insects include aphids, squash bugs, and spider mites.
How do you protect arugula?
Wrap leaves in a cloth or paper towel and place them in a perforated plastic bag in the vegetable crisper section of the refrigerator. Arugula will keep in the refrigerator for about 10 days but it will be most flavorful in used in 3 to 6 days.
How do you protect arugula from flea beetles?
Cover seedlings with lightweight floating row cover until the adults die off. Provide shade for the crops that seem most susceptible to them. Apply a garlic spray to repel them from susceptible plants. (Simply run some garlic in water in the blender, let it sit overnight, strain it, and spray it).
What is a natural way to get rid of flea beetles?
How to Get Rid of Flea Beetles
- Try this homemade spray to control flea beetles: 2 cups isopropyl alcohol, 5 cups water, and 1 tablespoon liquid soap.
- Dusting leaves with plain talcum powder repels flea beetles on tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and other plants.
- Use white sticky traps to capture flea beetles as they jump.
Should you cut off leaves with holes?
If the leaf is more than half damaged by the bug, then you should cut it off the tree or plant. The same is true if the leaves have become yellowed or brown because of damage from bugs. Cutting the affected leaves off will direct needed nutrients to the other healthier leaves and allow them to thrive.
How do you get rid of leaf eating bugs?
One of the best ways you can fight this pest off is by regularly misting the leaves to keep them moist. You should also dust and clean the leaves often to prevent these mites from laying eggs on them. For extreme cases, try a homemade bug spray made of water and neem oil for indoor plants.
What can I spray on my plants to keep bugs away?
Oil Spray: Mix 1 cup of vegetable oil with 1 tablespoon of mild liquid soap. Add 2-8 teaspoons of this mixture to 1 quart of water and spray your plants as above. The oil in this spray smothers the insects so it is effective on aphids, thrips, mites, and scale.
What insect makes round holes in leaves?
Slugs are the most common cause of holes in leaves, but they often remain unseen because they feed at night. Sometimes larger slugs eat leaves from the edge inward, but small slugs make irregular holes inside leaves, as shown in the chard leaf on the right in the above photo. Slug holes always have smooth green edges.
What eats little holes in plant leaves?
Small “shot holes” throughout leaves.
Flea beetles eat holes in many types of plants, including roses, hydrangeas, broccoli, cabbage, kale, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and even fragrant mint. Other small beetles, including cucumber beetles, cause similar-looking leaf holes.
How do I keep bugs from eating my plants naturally?
Make A Stink: Many aromatic herbs, like yarrow, citronella, mint, fennel, catnip, basil, and lemongrass are natural deterrents for garden pests from aphids to potato beetles. As an added bonus, some of these herbs also attract the predators that keep pests under control.
How do I keep bugs from eating my arugula?
Planting trap crops, such as radishes, can deter pests away from your arugula. On the flipside, you can sow plants like yarrow and marigold to attract beneficial insects, such as predatory wasps and ladybugs to help control populations on unwanted insects.
Should I pinch off arugula flowers?
Arugula flower buds and flowers are edible, and the petals are particularly good when snipped into summer salads.
How do you pick arugula so it keeps growing?
Use your hands, a pair of scissors or a serrated knife and cut the stems of the leaves about an inch from the crown or the leaf base. You can simply take a few leaves off each plant and leave the rest to continue growing for the next harvest.
Do coffee grounds deter flea beetles?
Coffee grounds are a good repellent for flea beetles, but to get rid of them, the best and most effective option is diatomaceous earth, which will dehydrate the pests on contact.
What can I spray on flea beetles?
Row covers are the best control, followed by the biopesticide spinosad (available in organic formulations) or fungal agents containing Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium brunneum, which cause flea beetles to dry out and die.
What does a flea beetle look like?
What Do Flea Beetles Look Like? Up close, flea beetles look like tiny beetles. They’re shiny, and can appear to be black, brown or even bluish in color. Some species may even have spots or stripes.
How do I protect my plants from flea beetles?
- Control weeds in and around planting sites to limit food sources for flea beetles.
- Remove old crop debris so that beetles will not be able to get protection in the winter.
- Plant crops as late as possible.
- Use row covers or other screening to keep beetles out when the seedlings are growing.
What time of day are flea beetles most active?
Flea beetle damage can advance quickly.
Julie Soroka, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) research scientist with a specialty in flea beetles, says that on warm and calm days, damage can advance from 25% in the morning to 50% by evening.
Elvira Bowen is a food expert who has dedicated her life to understanding the science of cooking. She has worked in some of the world’s most prestigious kitchens, and has published several cookbooks that have become bestsellers. Elvira is known for her creative approach to cuisine, and her passion for teaching others about the culinary arts.