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Spittlebugs
Latin Name: Philaenus spumarius
Common Name: Meadow Spittlebug
Latin Family Name: Cercopidae
Other Names: Froghopper
Pest Details
Origin:
As many as 54 native species in North America.
Biology:
Spittlebugs feed on a wide assortment of landscape shrubs, trees, or turf, with the potential to cause some level of damage to the plant if populations are high. Most often it is the presence of the unsightly “spit” like blobs of white foam that cause concern to homeowners. Depending on the species there may be 1 or 2 generations each year, with the egg stage over-wintering.
Identification:
Similar in appearance to many leafhoppers, but distinguished by characters on the hind leg, where the spittlebug has several very stout spines instead of the neat row of thin spines present on leafhoppers. The most noticeable stage will be as the nymph, when the insect exudes a white bubbly mass about one
Latin Name: Aphrophora parallela
Common Name: Pine spittlebug
Other Names: Spruce spittlebug
Pest Details
Origin:
Native to eastern North America but spread as far west as British Columbia.
Biology:
This is a common spittlebug found throughout much of the eastern states in the U.S. and eastern Canada. It attacks only conifers of all kinds, but seems to favor Scots Pine. Heavy infestations on pines can cause yellowing of the needles, but serious damage is rare. Eggs are deposited under the bark of twigs and branches in mid-summer and these overwinter. The eggs hatch in early spring and the nymphs then begin producing their foamy covers and feeding, often congregating in masses that leads to larger masses of the foam. Young nymphs tend to move around frequently but older nymphs often congregate on the trunk of the tree, creating foam masses there as well. Adults migrate back to the needles and feed without creating any foam coverings.
Latin Name: Prosapia bicincta
Common Name: Two-lined Spittlebug
Latin Family Name: Cercopidae
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:
Native to North America and present throughout much of the eastern third of the U.S., but most prevalent and damaging in the southeastern states.
Biology:
Like other Homopterans the spittlebugs feed with a proboscis that pierces the plant tissues to remove the plant’s fluids. Turf is the major plant host of this species, and feeding causes a purplish or a white stripe to form along the grass blade. Centipedegrass is a favored turf host. Heavy feeding can cause collapse of the blades and an overall decline of turf in an area. There may be up to 3 generations per year, each taking about 2.5 months to complete. The overwintering stage is the eggs, which hatch in early spring. Eggs are deposited at the base of the grass blades in the thatch.
Identification:
The conspicuous adults are