How to Get Rid of Beetles in Corn Stalks

Corn flea beetles attack corn leaves and roots.

Corn fields reach for miles through the Midwestern states of America, and are a valuable cash crop for farmers. Like any plant, though, corn can be attacked by a whole variety of pests. Rabbits, gophers and insects love to snack on tender corn stalks and roots. Corn flea beetles are a particular enemy of corn.

Things You'll Need

• Pesticide
• Neem oil
• Ladybugs or lacewing moths
• Plow

Instructions

1. Diagnose a corn flea beetle infestation. They occur east of the rocky mountains, and most often in North Carolina. Beetles are black with a bronze or blue-green tinge, oval shaped and 1.3 to 2.5 mm. in length. They are most likely to attack the leaves and stalks of corn. The symptoms of a corn flea beetle infestation are holy, wilted leaves. Flea beetle larvae attack the roots of the plant.

2. Apply pesticides or neem oil to your plants to eliminate corn flea beetles on the current crop. Understand, however, that once they've started, infestations are hard to stop.

3. Plow all plant matter to kill flea beetles and any larvae that are left at the end of the season. Release ladybugs and lacewing moths, which will eat beetle larvae. Keep the plot clean with consistent weeding and plowing to eliminate any sources of nutrition for beetles. These steps will prevent future infestations, which is the best treatment for corn flea beetles.

Tips & Warnings

• Corn can also be attacked by Japanese beetles, which thrive during the summer.

• Flea beetles will not kill corn, and are more of a nuisance than anything else.

• Flea beetles come in several varieties; corn flea beetles will only eat corn plants.

• Drought causes injury from beetles to compound.

References

• North Carolina Integrated Pest Management Information: Corn Flea Beetle
• Gardening Know How: Small Holes in Leaves -- What Are Flea Beetles?