It will also be important to scout soybean fields as well. We have had a number of calls on corn flea beetles. The corn flea beetle is a small, shiny black beetle that chews long, parallel lesions in the leaves of seedling corn. Feeding damage first appears as thin, silvery or white streaks. Heavily injured leaves turn brown, wilt and die.
Damage is considered severe when one or more leaves of seedling corn are killed.
Some heavily damaged fields have a frosted appearance when viewed from field edges. The flea beetle over-winters as adults they mate, lay eggs and die in the next week to 10 days. A warm winter allows good flea beetle survival. To control flea beetles the insecticide has to be applied to the corn plant. Insecticides applied pre-emergence will not control the flea beetles.