Container Gardening Complete

Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 178 5/24/17 12:18 PM
Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete
Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 179 6/5/17 3:09 PM

178 chapter 4

Flea Beetle (many species)

North American geographical range: All

Identification: Extremely small, these members of

the beetle family measure only about^1 ⁄ 10 in. long

and hop like a flea. Most species are shiny and

black, though some are iridescent or striped. They

move very quickly and are often seen hopping

around damaged plants.

Plants affected: Many different plants are

susceptible to flea beetle damage, but some of

their favorites include cole crops, corn, eggplant,

pepper, potatoes, radishes, tomatoes, and turnips.

Feeding habits and damage: The damage flea

beetles cause is very distinctive. Small, round

holes make the plant look as if it’s been riddled

with tiny buckshot. The larvae live underground

and can do minor damage to plant roots and

potato tubers.

Physical controls: Place yellow sticky cards

just above the plant tops to attract and trap

adult beetles. While floating row cover is not

an effective way to keep flea beetles off plants

in an in-ground vegetable garden (it often ends

up trapping in the beetles as they emerge from

their underground pupation), it is an effective

way to keep the beetles off containerized plants,

especially if they were planted in a fresh batch of

potting mix at the start of the season.

Product controls: Citrus oil, garlic oil, kaolin clay-

based sprays, hot pepper wax, neem, and spinosad.

Flea beetles are small, hopping insects that feed on

many dierent crops, including radishes, eggplants,

and tomatoes.

Flea beetles are most damaging to young, tender

seedlings. Protect plants such as the eggplant

pictured here, with kaolin clay-based sprays.

Text Black Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete #175 Dtp: 229 Page: 178

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 178 5/24/17 1:07 PM

Troubleshooting 179

Four-Lined Plant Bug

(Poecilocapsus lineatus)

North American geographical range: East of the

Rockies and into southern Canada

Identification: Four-lined plant bugs are extremely

fast moving. They have greenish-yellow wing

covers with four black lines down them. Adults

measure^1 ⁄ 4 in. long at maturity, but they start out

as tiny, red and black nymphs in the early spring.

Plants affected: These insects are most attracted

to plants with highly fragrant foliage. Basil,

lavender, mint, oregano, and sage are among their

favorites, though you’ll also find them feeding on

ornamentals like azaleas, Russian sage, peonies,

mums, Shasta daisies, and viburnums, among

many others.

Feeding habits and damage: Four-lined plant

bug damage is unmistakable. Small, sunken,

round pockmarks occur in groups on new plant

foliage. The damage is caused by the insect’s

piercing and sucking mouthpart. Eventually, the

pockmarks turn brown and the damaged tissue

may fall out, leaving small holes in the leaves.

The damage they cause is purely aesthetic and

can easily be pruned out.

Physical controls: These insects only have one

generation per year, in early summer, and they

complete their life cycle in 4 to 6 weeks. Prune out

affected plant material in mid- to late summer,

after feeding damage ceases. Cover susceptible

plants with floating row cover until midsummer

when the bugs are no longer active.

Product controls: Product controls are seldom

necessary as their damage is only aesthetic.

Four-lined plant bugs feed on host plants for only a

few weeks every year. Their distinctive greenish-yellow

coloration and four black stripes make them easy to

identify, if you manage to catch these fast-moving

bugs in action.

As four-lined plant bugs suck out plant juices, they leave

distinctive pockmarks behind. Thankfully, the damage is

mostly aesthetic and can be pruned out easily.

Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete#175 Dtp: 229 Page: 178 (^) Text Black Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete #175 Dtp: 229 Page: 179
700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 179 5/24/17 1:07 PM