Description: Adults are small, hard-shelled, black beetles about 1.5 mm long. Wing covers have rows of fine but distinct punctures. Larvae are slender and white with a brownish head and are less than 5 mm in length.

Hosts: Tobacco, tomato, potato, jimsonweed, horsenettle, and ground cherry.

Damage: Adults damage plants by chewing small rounded holes through the leaves resulting in a "shot hole" appearance. Larvae feed on roots of host plants and may tunnel into plants.

Life Cycle: Adults overwinter in litter and plant debris around fields. In early spring, adults emerge and lay eggs on the soil surface near host plants. Eggs hatch in about a week, and larvae feed 4 to 5 weeks on plant roots before pupating in the soil. Approximately four generations occur each year in Georgia.

Tobacco flea beetle
Photo by: David Jones, UGA

Tobacco flea beetle
Photo by: David Jones, UGA