Sedum Flea Beetle

What’s Eatin’ Sedum?

Brightly colored flea beetles feeding on stonecrop (family Crassulaceae) in southwest Ohio were first reported in the BYGL in 2011. The leaf and stem damage caused by both the adults and larvae was so severe on Orpine (Hylotelephium telephium (synonym Sedum telephium)) ‘Autumn Joy’ it was difficult to identify the plants as sedum.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Sedum Flea Beetle Mystery Continues

I first encountered these brightly colored flea beetles in an eastern Cincinnati landscape in mid-October 2011. The beetles were doing so much damage the only way I could identify the defoliated plants was through a plant tag; it was Hylotelephium telephium ‘Autumn Joy’ (family Crassulaceae). There was little joy in the appearance of the landscape planting.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Sedum Flea Beetle Conundrum

We teach the importance of identifying a pest in order to develop an effective pest management plan. An accurate ID leads to learning about the pest's lifestyle including host range and numbers of generations per season. Occasionally, a significant insect pest somehow continues to fly below the radar of insect taxonomists.
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Authors
Joe Boggs