On this page
How to identify it
- Adults are small, dark, metallic blue-green beetles that jump like fleas when disturbed.[1]
- Damage on crape myrtle is irregular, roundish holes chewed in the leaves; the grubs are never found feeding on crape myrtle.[1]
- Grubs are small, yellowish-green and spotted, and the oval eggs are 1 to 2 mm long.[1][2]
Where it lives
It is found where its host plants grow, especially in the Southeast; NC State and UF/IFAS describe it damaging crape myrtles in North Carolina and Florida landscapes and nurseries.[1][2]
Biology and life cycle
Its normal hosts are plants in the evening primrose family, especially Ludwigia (water primrose), as well as evening primrose, fuchsia and gaura.[1][2]
Adults occasionally switch to crape myrtle, particularly in nurseries and where crape myrtles grow near stands of water primrose.[2][1]
Damage and signs
Health risk
It feeds only on plants; NC State and UF/IFAS mention no risk to people.[1][2]
Control
Prevention
Remove water primrose and other weedy hosts near crape myrtles, which may prevent infestations, and consider cultivars that have been found resistant to the beetle.[2][1]
Common questions
- What are the shiny blue-green bugs chewing my crape myrtle leaves?
- Probably crapemyrtle flea beetles, small metallic beetles that jump like fleas; they usually come from nearby water primrose.[1][2]
- Do the larvae damage crape myrtles too?
- No. NC State notes the grubs are never found feeding on crape myrtle; only the adults move onto it.[1]
Sources
- NC State Extension, “Crapemyrtle Flea Beetle.” content.ces.ncsu.edu/crapemyrtle-flea-beetle (accessed 2026-10-19)
- University of Florida IFAS Extension, Featured Creatures, “Flea Beetles of the Genus Altica, EENY-721 / IN1238.” ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1238 (accessed 2026-10-19)
- iNaturalist, “Altica litigata taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/213097 (accessed 2026-10-06)