Cereal leaf beetle – May 2020

Cereal leaf beetle damage will soon be apparent in some areas if not seen already.  The grub stage eats strips out of leaves.  The grubs are slimy and resemble small slugs and will leave a nice stain on your trousers as you walk through the crop!

Most crops are usually able to cope with the damage, but if the flag leaf is being badly grazed then yield can be affected.  An insecticide applied for aphids will have an effect on cereal leaf beetle grubs.  The grubs should disappear by mid-June to be replaced by the adult beetles from early July onwards, by which time crops should be safe from any significant damage.