Wow, Pam, usually I am in complete agreement with your advice, but this time
I have to differ. Maybe your slugs are different from our east coast ones.
Slug damage here is often seen as holes eaten in the center portions of the
leaves. With hostas especially (and young cannas) they can eat through an
emerging leaf, so that when it unfurls there is a swiss cheese pattern. It
has been a banner year for slugs here, with the unusually cool and rainy
weather, and I have had to use Sluggo to protect plants that are usually
resistant.

Flea beetles, on the other hand, are seldom if ever a hosta pest here. They
do love eggplants, and I wish they were innocuous! They can be so numerous
as to kill or permanently stunt a young plant. I keep my eggplant seedling
in pots until fairly late in the spring--just planted mine last week--so
they are larger and have a fighting chance, and so that I miss the spring
flush of flea beetle hatchings.

I do agree with you on developing some tolerance for insect damage. There
are a few plants I no longer grow, because it's not worth the struggle, a
vast majority of plants where I don't care about casual damage, and a small
number of plants where I take an active hand (but a gentle, organic one) in
controlling pests. It is amazing what working to establish a balanced
ecosystem will do to diminish pest problems.

Cheers,
Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA


Sounds like flea beetles, a small and innocuous pest that really does no
serious damage, but certainly can make hostas unslightly. Slugs and snails
typically munch from the edges in, while flea beetles will make small
holes
throughout the leaf. It is seldom recommended to treat for these pests -
one
needs to develop some insect tolerance.

pam - gardengal