Elliptical eggs are pointed at one end. With age, white turns yellow-gray.
Systena blanda, an adult palestriped flea beetle, is approximately 0.12 inch (3 mm) long and has a lustrous brown body with a broad white stripe along each wing.
Most adult flea beetles overwinter on plant waste in the field, field borders, and neighboring areas. Adults appear in the spring to feed and lay eggs.
Host plant:
Mostly Solanaceous plants such as tomato, pepper, eggplant, and tobacco. Also found on horse nettle, potato, and strawberry.
Territory:
It is found in North America.
Damages caused by Eggplant Flea Beetles:
Adult flea beetles may damage young plants, defoliating and destroying them. They do the most harm when they feed on cotyledons, stems, and leaves. Older leaves and plants are typically more resistant to feeding.
Life history and Habits:
Adult beetles spend the winter safe beneath leaf litter on field borders near the crop they were eating in late summer and look for new food plants in the spring, similar to the crucifer flea beetle. They feast on horse nettle, pokeweed, and other solanaceous weeds in the early spring, then switch to eggplant, potato, or tomato until August. Eggs are placed in the soil, larvae feed on roots, and a new generation of adult beetles emerges following a pupal period in the ground. These summer adults eat before moving to a safe location for the winter. As a result, there are two large flushes of adults: one in late May and early June and another from mid-July to mid-August.
