Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle vs Knotgrass Leaf Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle Knotgrass Leaf Beetle
Scientific Name Psylliodes chrysocephala Chrysolina hyperici
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Chrysomelidae Chrysomelidae
Size 3-4.5 mm 5-7 mm
Habitat Farmland Grasslands
Diet Leaf Miners Herbivores
Regions Europe Europe (native), introduced to Australia and North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle

A dark metallic flea beetle that is a major pest of oilseed rape across Europe. Larvae mine inside plant stems during winter. Has developed resistance to neonicotinoid insecticides in some areas.

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Did You Know?

Became an even more serious pest after the EU ban on neonicotinoid seed treatments in 2018.

Knotgrass Leaf Beetle

A rounded, metallic bronze to coppery-green beetle that was introduced to control St. John's wort. It has a smooth, convex body with fine punctation across the elytra.

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Did You Know?

Introduced to Australia in the 1930s, it was one of the earliest successful biological control agents used against a weed in that country.