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 many plants in the curcurbit family, including cucumbers, gourds, muskmelons, pumpkins, watermelon, and summer and winter squash. Flea beetles are tiny and black. Curcurbit family 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. Seedlings are especially susceptible and in many cases whole plants can wither, wilt, and die if left untreated, regardless of age. Flea beetle start out as legless grey grubs which have hatched from eggs that have been laid in the soil.