I’ve been getting asked this a lot over the last few weeks so I thought I had better finally write a quick blog on it. What is this insect? It’s a red-headed flea beetle. Very common in soybeans but even more abundant this year, showing up in other crops too. Defoliation in corn is not a concern and in soybeans, just follow the defoliation thresholds already established. I highly doubt populations will get high enough to need to spray in soybeans but in certain fields where dry conditions persist, defoliation may reach threshold. For thresholds and defoliation charts, see the OMAFRA Pub 811, Agronomy Guide for Field Crops or click here.
2 thoughts on “What is that Flea Beetle in Soys and Other Crops?”
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I have found a Alfalfa webworm in soybeans. The number of them have doubled from last Thursday. Do I need to spray fro these pest?
No..not likely. For any insect that feeds on leaves in soybeans, you’d follow these same defoliation thresholds. Very unlikely that webworm will eat that many holes in all the leaves to warrant a spray.