Flea beetles in home gardens Flea beetles are common pests on
many vegetable crops. You can also find them on flowers, and
occasionally on ornamental shrubs and trees. The most common
flea beetles in Minnesota gardens include the crucifer flea
beetle, Phyllotreta cruciferae, striped flea beetle, P.
striolata, western black flea beetle, P. pusilla, potato flea
beetle, Epitrix cucumeris, and the spinach flea beetle,
Disonycha xanthomelas. Most flea beetles feed on a fairly narrow
range of plants, although the palestriped flea beetle, Systena
blanda, has a wide host range which includes squash, beans,
corn, sunflowers, lettuce, potatoes and many weeds. Flea beetles
are a type of leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. Most
adult flea beetles are very small ranging in size from 1/16
–1/8th inch long (figs 1, 2 3). The spinach flea beetle, an
exception to this, is ¼ inch long. They vary in color from
black, bronze, bluish, or brown to metallic gray, while some
species have stripes. All flea beetles have large bac