Wed, Jan 17th, 2024 - 5:00am
June 11, 2021 - 2:47pm | By Kyle Cornell
(Cass County, ND) -- Flea beetles are one of the best ways to fight the noxious leafy spurge from taking over farmers’ fields. Flea beetles are all-natural, non-toxic, and best of all, leave no impact on your crops or vegetation while they target and kill leafy spurge. Adult beetles devour the leaves of leafy spurge, while the larvae consume the root and kill the plant. They do all the work an herbicide does, with none of the side effects.
Flea beetles will be emerging soon in their known habitats, and Cass County Weed Control will be gently collecting the insects using a sweep net. If you are a landowner who has leafy spurge on your property, and you want a helpful crew of flea beetles or a sweep net to collect them yourself, contact Stan Wolf, Cass County Weed Control, at (701) 298-2388.
Flea beetles have been introduced in pastures that were once so infested with leafy spurge that cattle couldn’t graze. Within a few years, those pastures were recovered and useable again. If an area is heavily infested, it might take several years and several rounds of flea beetles, but they get the job done with no chemicals.
