Several species can be found throughout the year, including the cabbage flea beetle, corn flea beetle, crucifer flea beetle, horseradish flea beetle, eggplant flea beetle, palestriped flea beetle, potato flea beetle, spinach flea beetle, striped flea beetle and the sweet potato flea beetle.
They generally have 1-2 generations per year, and overwinter as adults, usually in soil and litter or other protected areas, becoming active in early spring; early April – May in New Jersey.
Flea beetle adults feed on the leaves, chewing small holes in the foliage. However, when feeding is extensive and the leaves become riddled, the adjacent tissue dies or dehydrates, and the leaf takes on a bronzed or burned appearance. Leaves will die and drop off the plant. Some species, such as the corn flea beetle, can completely skeletonize leaf tissue of seedling corn, often defoliating the plants. The corn flea beetle adult also transmits a disease, Stewart’s bacterial wilt of corn, which can stunt or even kill corn plants infected early in the season. Larvae are generally root feeders, and several species occasionally cause considerable damage to roots and tubers. [Read more…]
Unfortunately, as with many insect questions there is no easy answer. In some cases the colder temperatures will likely reduce populations of certain pests. Insects in the soil or under snow cover will have protection from extreme temperatures which will influence survival. Many insects migrate in over the spring from the south, so they were not here to experience our winter weather. Survival conditions for migratory insects are more dependent on their local over wintering conditions. It is difficult to generalize about the impact of cold temperatures on the crop pests we battle. There are influences of fall tillage, soil characteristics, snow cover and soil temperature that play a role. 
