Striped flea beetle

It chews little round pits in young leaves, which later turn into small holes, like a leaf shot with tiny pellets.

Its eggs are laid in tiny holes it gnaws at the bottom of a plant stem.

It spends the winter hidden among old plant bits in and around fields.

In warm places it can have two or more families a year.

Gardeners sometimes cover young plants with thin see-through cloth to keep it away.