Grain Thrips vs Corn Flea Beetle
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Grain Thrips | Corn Flea Beetle |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Limothrips cerealium | Chaetocnema pulicaria |
| Order | Thysanoptera | Coleoptera |
| Family | Thripidae | Chrysomelidae |
| Size | 1.2-1.8 mm | 1.5-2 mm |
| Habitat | Farmland | Farmland |
| Diet | Herbivores | Herbivores |
| Regions | Europe, Asia, North America | North America |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Grain Thrips
A widespread pest of cereal crops including wheat, barley, and oats. Adults are dark brown and migrate in swarms during warm summer days.
Did You Know?
On hot summer days, grain thrips swarm in enormous numbers and are colloquially known as "thunder bugs" because they seem to appear before storms.
Corn Flea Beetle
A very small, shiny black to bronze flea beetle with a compact, oval body. It vectors Stewart's wilt bacterium, making it both a direct and indirect pest of sweet corn.
Did You Know?
The severity of Stewart's wilt in a given year can be predicted by winter temperatures, since cold winters reduce overwintering beetle populations.