Along with aphids and the ubiquitous Colorado potato beetle, gardeners are also plagued by another pest – the cruciferous flea beetle.
The parasite destroys the harvest of cabbage and radish, horseradish and daikon, even horseradish can become food for the insect.
Anastasia Kovrizhnykh , an expert of the online publication "BelNovosti", an agronomist and landscape designer, told how to fight the pest.
What is the danger of the cruciferous flea beetle?
The flea beetle poses a threat not only to plants of the cruciferous family. It attacks spicy and medicinal herbs, ornamental crops and forage crops.
Even if you don’t have a single garden bed on your property, you still need to keep your ears open.
You can spot a flea with the naked eye - this creature is mostly black in color and up to 3 mm long.
It lives in the upper soil layer and becomes active at +8 degrees Celsius. During the rainy season, the pest may become silent.
Small holes in the leaves, which gradually increase in size, indicate that the crop is damaged. The larvae attack the roots.
The greatest threat is posed to plantings in the period up to 3-4 weeks from the moment of emergence.
How to fight
The use of chemicals in cabbage beds is contraindicated.
Of the folk methods, vinegar and ammonia are considered useless. After the smell disappears, the parasites will return.
But experienced gardeners use animal shampoo against fleas.
Add 3 tablespoons of shampoo to a standard spray bottle and use it to spray affected plants, which also helps get rid of spider mites.
Earlier we talked about whether it is possible to sprinkle ash under beets .
Expert: Anastasia Kovrizhnykh
