While harvesting the spinach this morning, I noticed some tiny, shiny, black tear-shaped bugs all over the spinach, which in turn were on my arm, and BITING! There are millions of them, but only on the spinach, nothing else nearby. Can't find them in the garden pest book, any ideas? Have never seen these before in our garden. I'm going to try the grasshopper spray to see if it will wipe them out, but wondered what they might be. It's hot and dry here, not a moist hot area where things like chiggers, etc. grow. Jan

-- Jan in Colorado (Janice12@aol.com), June 09, 2000

Answers

It sounds like flea beetles to me.

-- greenbeanman (greenbeanman@ourtownusa.net), June 09, 2000.

Flea beetles, hummm. Where would they come from? Will they spread to other plants? So far, nothing around them seems to be affected. Is there a way to prevent them from overwintering? They bite hard for such a tiny insect! Thanks, Jan

-- Jan in Colorado (Janice12@aol.com), June 09, 2000.

We have flea beetles on all of our beans but not on the lettuce. We sprayed the bans with Neem. Seems to have worked.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), June 09, 2000.