Lettuce bugs - Ask Extension
We have tiny black bugs on our lettuce, grown in containers on patio. Tried spraying mixture of dish soap and lemon in water, but the bugs continue t...
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Lettuce bugs #582427
Asked July 22, 2019, 12:32 PM EDT
We have tiny black bugs on our lettuce, grown in containers on patio. Tried spraying mixture of dish soap and lemon in water, but the bugs continue to infest the lettuces.
What are they and how can we eliminate them without using commercial pesticides?
Thanks for your help.
Kris
El Paso County Colorado
Expert Response
Hello Kris,
thank you for your question and the attached pictures.
The insects on your lettuce seem to be flea beetles. they are very small but can do a lot o damage on different vegetables in the garden.
Flea beetles are very mobile, they will jump up to 12 inches. They can also fly long distances. The link below will give you more information on their life cycle.
In a garden you would try to cover your vegetables with row covers once you plant your seedlings to keep these flying little critters at bay. Maybe you could try that for your containers. Horticultural fleece is a light weight material that would cover the containers. It lets light in to help your vegetables to grow but keeps the flea beetles from investing the lettuce. Before you'd cover them you would have to wash them all off with a water hose and inspect them carefully before covering. Another option is to plant a decoy/trap crop i.e. radish in close vicinity to attract the beetles away from your lettuce. Cleaning up plant debris in the fall can reduce the amount of adult beetles from surviving ad gives you a better chance to enjoy healthy vegetables in the next year.
https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/insects/flea-beetles-5-592/
thank you for your question and the attached pictures.
The insects on your lettuce seem to be flea beetles. they are very small but can do a lot o damage on different vegetables in the garden.
Flea beetles are very mobile, they will jump up to 12 inches. They can also fly long distances. The link below will give you more information on their life cycle.
In a garden you would try to cover your vegetables with row covers once you plant your seedlings to keep these flying little critters at bay. Maybe you could try that for your containers. Horticultural fleece is a light weight material that would cover the containers. It lets light in to help your vegetables to grow but keeps the flea beetles from investing the lettuce. Before you'd cover them you would have to wash them all off with a water hose and inspect them carefully before covering. Another option is to plant a decoy/trap crop i.e. radish in close vicinity to attract the beetles away from your lettuce. Cleaning up plant debris in the fall can reduce the amount of adult beetles from surviving ad gives you a better chance to enjoy healthy vegetables in the next year.
https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/insects/flea-beetles-5-592/
