[Dr_Pepper]

It's giving me nightmares!

After fleecing anything susceptible to flea beetle and still experiencing lots of damage, I wondered if anyone had any novel ideas for controlling this little beastie?

My plan is to put yellow stick traps along the rows and then run my hand down the row to disturb them in the hope they'll end up on the traps when they jump out of my way. May possibly modify this to incorporate a spray of an organically-approved pesticide.

I've left the broccoli in the next bed to flower as I thought it might act as a trap-crop but I fear it may have just worsened my problem!!

[BumbleJo]

I know how you feel.  I have found that once the seedlings get over the first couple of inches of growth they don't suffer too much from the little blighters so wouldn't think they would be interested in your mature broccoli.  I start most of my brassicas off in modules and those that I sow direct I cover with fleece till they've got past the dangerous stage and make sure there are no gaps round the edges.  Seems to work.  I've tried the cardboard with sticky stuff on method, not very successfully.  Good luck!

[sunshineband]

The tiny larvae overwinter in the soil and so when you sow/plant they may already be there... fleece of course will not then help.

Making sure there is no leaf litter etc for them to feed on late in the season will mean the beetles go elsewhere and not stay in your beds to hatch in the Spring.

BumbleJo's tip of growing on plants until they are large enough to withstand damage is a good one.

If you are going to sow something like radishes however, cultivating the soil well for a week beforehand might allow birds to pick off any pupae or adult beetles