So far this season, I have re­ceived several pictures of and questions about red-headed flea beetles (RHFB). They have been fairly prevalent in corn and soybean fields in 2020. Red-headed adult beetles are shiny and black, 1/6-inch long, with a tinge of red on the head. 

They overwinter as eggs, which hatch into larvae in June. Data from North Carolina suggest that the larvae hatch around 250 growing degree days (base 50°F), and adults are active around 600 growing degree days. Damage by the larval stage is...