Potato leafhopper

About

A small, wedge-shaped, pale green insect about an eighth of an inch long. It feeds on more than 200 kinds of plants, mostly legumes.

Spotting it

Damage

On potatoes it causes hopperburn: a triangular brown patch at the leaf tip, then edges that roll inward and look scorched. Bean leaves whiten and curl.

How to find it early

Brush potato and bean foliage and watch for tiny green insects flying up, and turn leaves to find the pale nymphs.

When

Late spring through summer.

Life cycle

It overwinters only in the Gulf Coast states and nearby southern areas and rides warm spring winds north, reaching northern areas by May. A generation takes about four weeks, allowing up to six a year.

What to do, gentlest first

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

1. Remove nearby host weeds Prevent

   Clear nearby dandelion, thistle and other host plants, and choose resistant varieties where seed packets list them.

2. Scout early By hand

   Start checking potatoes when they are 4 to 8 inches tall.

3. Labeled insecticides Conventional spray

   If adults or nymphs are present on young potatoes, spray all leaf surfaces and repeat 7 to 10 days later if needed.

   Follow the label, protect bees, and observe the pre-harvest interval.

Garden friends that go after it

Minute pirate bugs

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

Plants it goes after

Apple (backyard tree), Chestnut, Goji (wolfberry), Green beans (snap beans), Potato

Pressure by region

Its range runs from the East Coast west to the Rocky Mountains; it overwinters only in the Gulf Coast states and the southern pine region (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, parts of Florida and Texas, eastern Arkansas, Tennessee, the Carolinas and Virginia). Reports from California's Central Valley may be misidentified relatives, so the West is rated low.

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