Leaffooted bugs

About

Narrow brown bugs about 3/4 to 1 inch long, named for the flat, leaf-like flare on their hind legs; the eastern species has a white bar across its back. They suck juice from ripening fruit, seeds and nuts, and in California they are a garden pest of tomatoes and pomegranates.

Spotting it

Damage

Feeding leaves dimples or discolored spots on fruit and can lead to rot. They also kill back rose tips and ruin sunflower seeds.

How to find it early

Look for chains of brown, barrel-shaped eggs laid end to end along stems or leaf veins, and for orange to reddish nymphs with dark legs clustered on fruit.

When

Spring through fall.

Life cycle

Adults spend the winter in groups in sheltered spots such as woodpiles, sheds, palm fronds or under loose bark, and become active as it warms up. There are two to three generations a year in California and several in North Carolina.

What to do, gentlest first

Start at the top. Sprays are a last step; always read and follow the product label.

1. Mow weeds Prevent

   Keep weedy areas mowed, since weeds feed the bugs in winter and spring (UC IPM).

2. Hand-pick and destroy eggs By hand

   Knock bugs into a jar of soapy water or catch them with a handheld vacuum kept just for bugs, and crush egg chains when you find them.

3. Row cover Barrier

   Row covers keep flying adults off plants so they cannot lay eggs.

4. Sunflower trap crop Trap

   Mississippi State suggests sunflowers as a trap crop; check them often and remove the bugs that gather there.

5. Natural enemies Natural enemies

   Native parasitic wasps and flies, assassin bugs, spiders and birds all eat leaffooted bugs.

6. Insecticidal soap, neem or pyrethrins Organic spray

   UC IPM says these may give some control of young nymphs only.

   Neem and pyrethrins are toxic to bees; spray in the evening and keep them off open flowers. Follow the label.

7. Pyrethroids such as permethrin Conventional spray

   UC IPM says broad-spectrum pyrethroids work best, but treat them as a last resort.

   Highly toxic to bees and it also kills the natural enemies. Keep sprays off open flowers, and follow the label and pre-harvest interval.

Garden friends that go after it

Tachinid flies

Protect these helpers: skip broad sprays when they're around.

Plants it goes after

Apple (backyard tree), Dragon fruit (pitaya), Green beans (snap beans), Okra, Peach, Pepper (sweet and chili), Plum, Pomegranate, Southern peas, Starfruit (carambola), Sunflower, Tomato

Pressure by region

Florida has at least nine Leptoglossus species (UF/IFAS), NC State reports several generations a year in North Carolina, and UC IPM covers them as a garden pest in California. No regional severity source was found, so these ratings are estimates.

Ratings come from extension sources where available; some are estimates, as noted above.