Flea Beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Populations, Effects of Feeding Injury, and Efficacy of Insecticide Treatments on Eggplant and Cabbage in Southwest Virginia.

Flea beetles, are common pests of cabbage Brassica oleracea L. (Brassicales: Brassicaceae) and eggplant Solanum melongena L. (Solanales: Solanaceae), but little is known about the flea beetle populations in Virginia, their impact on yield, or the most effective control methods.

Movement of the Neonicotinoid Seed Treatment Clothianidin into Groundwater, Aquatic Plants, and Insect Herbivores.

Agricultural use of the neonicotinoid clothianidin (CLO) as a seed treatment of corn and soybeans has been linked to contamination of waterways and irrigation water. By analyzing samples collected from field lysimeters with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS), this study reports the highest CLO concentrations within leachate following planting, with maximum concentrations occurring 4 weeks post-planting (3370 ng L). This concentration is approximately 10× greater than previously reported CLO concentrations in streams/rivers and prairie wetlands, likely the result of reduced dilution and photolysis impacts.