Feeding responses of two oligophagous species, Phyllotreta nemorum and P. undulata, and two monophagous species, P. armoraciae and P. tetrastigma, feeding on horseradish, Armoracia rusticana, and large bittercress, Cardamine amara, respectively, have been evaluated by means of leaf disc tests.All species feed only on plants containing glucosinolates. Extracts made from a number of such species were tested for feeding inhibitory activity. There is good negative correlation between plant acceptability and feeding inhibitory activity of extracts in P. nemorum, but the monophagous species reject some plants which do not contain feeding inhibitors. Cucurbitacins from Iberis species have been identified as feeding inhibitors to P. nemorum and cardiac glycosides from Cheiranthus and Erysimum to P. undulata and P. tetrastigma.Both acceptable and unacceptable plants contain highly stimulatory glucosinolates to P. ar'moraciae and P. nemorum, and the beetles are not able to recognize their host plants solely by their content of glucosinolates. Preliminary results suggest that certain flavonoids from radish and horseradish are feeding stimulants to the two flea beetle species.A number of insect species feed solely on plants containing glucosinolates (mustard oil glucosides) and the compounds are known to stimulate feeding in a number of these insects (Hicks, 1974; Nielsen, 1978; Schoonhoven, 1972). Usually, these insects are able to discriminate between different glucosinolate containing plant species. The present study was undertaken in order to investigate the role played by plant chemicals in this discrimination in four flea beetle species and to identify some of the active compounds. Insects with wide and narrow host plant ranges were included in order to investigate whether they relied on different mechanisms when selecting appropriate host plants.Phyllotreta nemorurn L. and P. undulata Kutsch are common pest species all over Europe, feeding on a number of plants containing glucosinolates (Dobson, 1956; Heikertinger, 1925;Mohr, 1966;Nielsen, 1977). P. tetrastigma (Com.) is described as feeding on crucifers growing in moist places by Mohr (1966) but no plant species are mentioned. Only large bittercress, Cardamine amara, is mentioned as host plant by Hansen (1927) and Heikertinger (1925), and at least in Denmark there is a decided preferencefor this plant even though, occasionally, the beetle may be found on other species (Nielsen, unpubl.). P. armoraciae (Koch) is