| I've seen a few little round shiny black beetles in my garden lately. This is my first garden. They are not on the plants, but near the tomatoes & zucchini. What are they & should I do anything? |
| Without seeing them, it's hard to identify exactly what they are. A possibility is flea beetles, which are tiny (about 1/12 inch) and shiny, usually black; they chew plant foliage. In great numbers they can do some damage, but otherwise it is just cosmetic damage. They can be caught with yellow sticky traps. You can purchase or make traps from yellow cardboard smeared with petroleum jelly. They get stuck on it. I wouldn't recommend spraying with an insecticide as that can do more harm than good, killing off beneficial insects that consume the pests. I'd monitor the plants daily to see if you see signs of damage or an increase in the population. Try to take a sample of the insect to a nursery for identification. Hope this info helps |
