Symptoms
Adults create circular feeding holes in leaves and damage flowers and fruit surfaces. Larvae feed on roots causing wilting and stunting. Young plants may die from combined root damage.
Prevention
Use floating row covers on seedlings. Practice crop rotation. Apply kaolin clay to deter adults. Use yellow sticky traps for monitoring adult populations.
Treatment
Organic
Apply neem oil or pyrethrin to control adults. Use beneficial nematodes in soil to target larvae. Hand-pick adults from plants early in the morning.
Chemical (last resort)
Apply carbaryl or bifenthrin to control adult populations. Treat soil with chlorpyrifos granules to reduce larval damage. Observe PHI for edible crops.
Affects 1 crop
Sources
MARDI Vegetable Pest Guide; DOA Extension Bulletin