Insect Pests of Fruit, Plantation, Medicinal & Aromatic Crops (2+1)

1. Flea beetle

1. Flea beetle - Scleodonta strigicollis Mots. (Eumolpidae: Coleoptera)

Damage

• The adult flea beetles bite small holes on tender leaves.
• The grub feeds on roots.





Bionomics

• The adult is shining beetle with a metalic bronze colour and black patches on elytra measuring 4.5mm long.
• The female lays eggs beneath the bark in groups of20-40.
• The fecundity is 220 -569 eggs per female.
• The eggs are hatched in 4-8 days.
• The larval period lasts 34-45 days.
• It pupates in an earthern cell.
• The pupal period is 7-11 days.
• The total life cycle is completed in 52 days.
• The adult hibernates in March and from May onwards they start feeding on tender shoot and leaves.
Management

• Remove the loose bark at the time of pruning and spray phosalone 35 EC 2 ml I litre of water after pruning.