Swarms of Little Black Bugs Attack Plants

Q. A few days ago my rose bushes were swarmed with small black (iridescent) flying beetles and they've cleaned out most of my roses. They also wiped out my one strawberry plant.

Flea beetle ataxic grape leaves leaving holes

Flea beetles aren't very large but they are small, black and iridescent

If enough of them come through this is the kind of damage they can do in a short time

A. I have not seen them but flea beetles come to mind this time of year. They are small, black and iridescent. This is the time of year they are normally active as well again in the fall.

They normally come in large swarms devouring a lot of soft leaves including roses, strawberries, grapes to name a few.

In about two weeks they will be gone as quickly as they appeared. The plants will grow back. I would not recommend anything to spray but simply wait until they are gone then give the plants a deep watering and fertilizer so they recover quickly.