LEAFHOPPER

LEAFHOPPER
There are many varieties of sharpshooters or leafhoppers in the state, most are colored either green or brown, and are about 1/4th inch in size. They all have a distinctive long, slender shape, and are very active. They can become significant problems for landscaping and crops.

The Glassy-winged Sharpshooter was accidentally brought into California, likely as egg masses on plant foliage. They feed on plants, but rarely cause significant plant damage. The real problem is that they can spread bacterium causing plant diseases such as Pierce’s disease of grape, oleander leaf scorch, and almond leaf scorch. There is no cure at the present time for any of these diseases. When Glassy-winged Sharpshooters feed on a plant that is infected, it acquires the bacteria, and then transfers the bacteria to another plant when it feeds again.

The Smoke Tree Leafhopper is unusual in that it is ½ inch long. It is also found on a wide variety of plants, but especially likes trees, including the Desert Smoke Tree, from which it gets it’s name.
Nymphs and adults remove the contents of leaf cells, leaving behind empty cells that usually appear as pale yellow spots. If Leafhopper populations are high, the entire leaf may be pale yellow or white. Their excrement appears as minute, sticky clumps that darken with age, and is associated with the growth of sooty mold.

Life Cycle
Adult females insert eggs into soft tissues of plants in April and May. Eggs hatch a few days later into nymphs. Nymphs grow and molt several times before becoming a winged adult. Several generations can occur in a single season, each one lasting from three to seven weeks. Some Leafhoppers can overwinter as adults, and are found the next spring on leaves and weeds; while some overwinter as eggs on twigs. Leafhopper anatomy.