So row covers are pretty much useless unless you cover early in the season? Yeah plus they have to be well secured around the base of the plant to to keep the FB out. But keep in mind that flea beetles aren't generally considered a serious pest when it come to established plants (young seedlings are a different matter). The damage they do is more of an appearance issue and poses no real threat to the plants. Most established plants have no problem coping with the damage done by flea beetles. Dave

This afternoon I was walking past my eggplants and saw those darn flea beetles just starting in on them. I went right for the flour and dusted them. A few hours later I went past again and checked: no flea beetles. Yes, DE works, too. One day I made two trips to evilorangepalace for it. I couldn't find it on the first trip (nor could the sales help) and couldn't find the manager either. I called when I got home, just to chew him out. He put two bags at the register for me. Traveled to EOP and back home, applied the DE, and then came in the house to read some posts on my organic gardener's listserv where someone had just written a post saying flour works as well as DE. Grrr. Will never forget that day. Cher

As far as flour working on flea beatles goes...heck, I don't know. I can't really imagine why that would work, but if it works for somebody, who can argue with results? The part about wilting leaves makes a lot of sense to me though. I can imagine that the flour simply sucks water out of the stomas of the leaves faster than it can be replaced through the roots. Flour is really good at sucking up moister. Just like a mouth full of flour would make you really parched. (Don't ask me how I know that. Let's just say that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas). I bet the flour just absorbs more water than the roots can replace it especially in hot weather. Just imagine how fast water could get sucked out of individual stomates and the spread out to eveporate over a larger area on a hot day.

Kitty- Thank you for posing this question. I am experiencing the same problem for the first time in the history of my dichondra lawn, and it is BAD this year. It killed an entire section to the dirt in the back garden, and I am worried about the front. It looks like someone hit it with a blow torch, now that we are getting in the 100s. It really happens quick. The dichondra out back took less than a week to be just dirt, and now worried that the front doesn't have many days left. I took the lawn doctor recommendation on paper to my Lowes and he said he didn't have that, but recommended Spectracide's "Triazicide" containing: Gamma-Cyhalothrin Will that work? Or if not, can you tell me where to get the correct product? I don't want my lawn to die from beetles, but also don't want my lawn to die from chemicals, lol... Thank you -T