Leafhoppers
Leafhoppers are sucking insects in the family Cicadellidae. A few species of leafhoppers suck the juice from many
landscape plants, but most kinds feed on only one or several
closely related plant species. Most leafhoppers are slender,
wedge-shaped, less than 0.25 inch long as adults, and generally
are varying shades of green, yellow, or brown and often mottled.
They walk rapidly sideways or readily jump when disturbed.
Adults and nymphs and their pale cast skins are usually found
on the underside of leaves.
Identification of species | Life
cycle
Damage
Leaves appear stippled, pale, or brown, and
shoots may curl and die. Some leafhopper species transmit
plant diseases, but this is troublesome mostly among herbaceous
crop plants. A few species secrete honeydew on which foliage-blackening
sooty mold grows.
Solutions
Ignore these insects as they rarely if ever
cause serious harm to woody plants. Insecticidal
soap or narrow-range
oil can be applied to infested foliage to reduce
high populations of leafhopper nymphs; thorough coverage
of leaf undersides is important. It is very difficult to
control adults effectively and no control is recommended. |
An adult leafhopper on Myoporum
An adult rose leafhopper
 White
speckled markings left by leafhoppers
|
