Sumac Flea Beetle

Pest Description

• Adults: ~ 1/4 inch; cream colored with red markings on the wings; prothorax and head are orange, and wing coloration/pattern can be variable
• Larvae: up to ~1/4 inch, yellow with pale stripes and black heads; larvae partially covered in fecal material
• Eggs: laid in small groups and are covered with various colors of excrement

Host Plants, Diet & Damage

• Skunkbush; smokebush; sumac
• Feed on leaves, creating a ragged appearance
• Larvae occasionally defoliate plants
• Damage may be localized or over the whole plant
• Repeated defoliation may cause plant death

Biology, Life Cycle & Damaging Life Stage

• Overwinter as adults outdoors
• Adults emerge in spring and feed on expanding foliage
• Eggs are laid on branches in fecal egg cases
• Larvae hatch and feed in groups on leaves from mid-May to early-June. They then crawl down the tree and pupate in the soil.
• Adults emerge in about 2 weeks and lay eggs. They continue to feed until overwintering.
• There is one generation per year
• Larvae are the primary damaging life stage, but adults also cause damage

IPM Recommendations

• Manage trees to improve or maintain overall health.
• Pesticides are not typically needed for this pest.
• Monitor the leaves for larvae in mid- to late-May.
• Apply an insecticide (Bacillus thuringiensis; spinosad; carbaryl; pyrethroid) to branches and leaves just after egg hatch to control young larvae.