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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Flea Beetle Control:Parasitic Nematodes, Steinernema feltiae

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  • From: Road's End Farm <organic87 AT frontiernet.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Flea Beetle Control:Parasitic Nematodes, Steinernema feltiae
  • Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2012 08:49:11 -0400


On Apr 15, 2012, at 8:27 AM, Andy Fellenz wrote:

The only thing that I have ever found that works reliably with flea beetles is row cover.  I put it down within a day of the crop being transplanted or seeded. 


I tried that with arugula. I pulled the row cover for all of ten minutes to cultivate and when I went to start harvesting the arugula was swarming with flea beetles and too full of holes to sell.

I deal with it by not growing arugula. This is not ideal, as I occasionally have customers ask for it.

Row covers work fine for flea beetles in eggplant as long as the row cover goes on as soon as the transplants go out, because by the time I have to pull the row cover the eggplant are big enough to put on leaf surface faster than the flea beetles can eat it, and the flea beetles don't generally significantly damage the fruit itself. I've learned, however, not to leave the transplants hanging around at ground level waiting to go in the ground. The flea beetles don't seem to find them if they're up on a table or trailer.


-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 6A now I think
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale






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