Grape Flea Beetle

How to identify it

• Adults are dark metallic greenish-blue jumping beetles about 1/5 inch long.^[1]
• Larvae are brownish with black spots, and the pale yellow eggs are fairly easy to see on leaves or under loose cane bark.^[1]

Where it lives

It's found in the eastern two-thirds of the United States, mainly on wild and cultivated grapes and Virginia creeper.^[1]

US map: public records from 28 states since 1990 (GBIF). View the map

Biology and life cycle

Adults overwinter in sheltered spots around vineyards and begin feeding inside buds in early spring.^[1]

Larvae feed on leaves for three to four weeks, pupate in the soil, and there is one generation a year.^[1]

Damage and signs

• Damaged buds don't develop into primary canes, which can cut yields; once buds are 1/2 inch long, injury is slight.^[1]
• Leaves that do emerge can look ragged and tattered, and larvae skeletonize leaves, rarely to an economic level.^[1]

Health risk

It feeds on plants; UK Extension mentions no risk to people.^[1]

Control

Prevention

Watch vineyard borders near woods at bud swell, where damage is usually concentrated.^[1]

Pesticides

When beetles are common and bud injury is seen, a spray timed at bud swell gives control; later sprays for other grape pests miss them.^[1]

Common questions

What hollowed out my grape buds in spring?

Grape flea beetles, often the first insects to attack grapes, feed inside swelling buds.^[1]

Will my summer grape sprays control flea beetles?

No; sprays for later pests such as grape berry moth come after flea beetle activity.^[1]

Sources

1. University of Kentucky Entomology (ENTFACT), “Grape Flea Beetle (ENTFACT-224).” entomology.mgcafe.uky.edu/ef224 (accessed 2026-10-06)
2. iNaturalist, “Altica chalybea taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/213091 (accessed 2026-10-06)