Container-production
Guides
Systena frontalis
red-headed flea beetle, Red-headed Systena
Systena frontalis, commonly known as the red-headed flea beetle, is a flea beetle species in the family Chrysomelidae native to North America. It has become a significant economic pest of ornamental plant nurseries across the central and eastern United States, particularly affecting container-grown plants. Adults feed on foliage, creating shotholes and skeletonization that reduce plant salability. The species has expanded its pest status to cranberry production systems and shows a broad host range encompassing numerous woody ornamental species. Its biology includes holometabolous development with four larval instars, and it overwinters as eggs in growing medium or soil.