Corn flea beetles are beetles which jump in the same manner as fleas, but are unrelated to fleas. Both adult and mature flea beetles can be of harm to the corn plants at various stages of their development.
Flea beetles are tiny, shiny and a very dark black.
Corn plants with flea beetle damage will have holes in their leaves which look almost as if they have been shot they are so riddled with openings. The corn flea beetles chew the leaves from the undersides and seedlings are especially susceptible and in many cases whole corn plants can wither, wilt, and die if left untreated, regardless of their stage of development. Corn flea beetles start out as legless whitish grey grubs which have hatched from eggs that have been laid be female flea beetles in the surrounding soil. After pupating in the soil, corn flea beetles emerge as mature adults and begin the process again feeding for up to two months and reproducing quickly, creating up to four generations of mature flea beetles each growing season. As adult beetles, they chew holes in the leaves, leaving them looking riddled as if by a shotgun.