Help leaf hoppers taking over our outdoor crop

[mesquires]

We have beautiful plants this summer outdoor... I found little tiny very light green bugs that I thought were
grasshoppers. I took some to the nursery and they said they were leaf hoppers. We live in northern CA hot weather. They leave wet spots that dry in to a white film...

They haven't eaten holes on the leaves hardly at all... will they do damage?
They are starting to flower and were freaking out (

Any ideas how to get rid of the buggers?

 

[Fuzzy Duck]

leaf hopper wiki - Leafhopper - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Some methods of control...

Prevention:

1. Keep plants healthy and vigorous so that they can recover quickly if leafhoppers attack.

2. Attract and conserve natural enemies like damsel bugs, minute pirate bugs, lady beetles, lacewings, parasitic wasps, and spiders.

3. Commercially available beneficial insects, such as ladybugs, lacewing, and minute pirate bugs, are all voracious predators of both the egg and young larval stage.

4. Remove garden trash and other debris shortly after harvest to reduce over-wintering sites.

5. Floating Row Covers can be used as a physical barrier to keep leafhoppers from damaging plants.

Control:

1. Some damage is tolerable, but when infestations are severe, apply dormant oil sprays to kill adults over-wintering on fruit trees.

2. Wash nymphs from plants with a strong spray of water.

3. Nymphs can also be controlled with insecticidal soap. Thorough coverage of both upper and lower infested leaves is necessary for effective control. Coverage of the fruit is of secondary importance. If pest levels become intolerable, spot treat with botanical insecticides as a last resort.

Helpful Tip: To improve the effectiveness of insecticidal soap, mix 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of isopropyl alcohol to 1 quart (1 l) of the spray. It helps the soap penetrate the insects' outer shell.



Non-chemical control

A biological control can be used in greenhouses. This is a tiny parasitic wasp, Anagrus atomus, which develops as larvae inside the leafhoppers's eggs.
The parasite needs warm temperatures to be effective and so can only be used during the summer. It is available by mail order from some suppliers of biological controls.

Chemical controls

When leaf spotting is first seen, apply deltamethrin (Bayer Sprayday Greenfly Killer), lambda cyhalothrin (Westland Plant Rescue Fruit & Vegetable Bug Killer), thiacloprid (Provado Ultimate Bug Killer Concentrate or Ready To Use), acetamiprid (Scotts Bug Clear Ultra or Bug Clear Ultra Gun) or pyrethrum (Py Spray Garden Insect Killer or Scotts Bug Clear Gun for Fruit & Veg).
With the exception of acetamiprid, these insecticides can be used on glasshouse tomatoes, aubergine, peppers and cucumber, but check the label instructions if other edible plants need treatment.



Chemical control (protected herbs)

Chemical control of leafhoppers is difficult, as the adults fly off the plants when disturbed, e.g. during spraying, and the nymphs are difficult targets as they live on the undersides of the leaves. A pesticide should only be used if necessary and should be selected carefully, taking into account pesticide compatibility within IPM (see section A - Principles of IPM) and harvest interval (see Table 2 on the homepage). There is no known leafhopper resistance to pesticides in the UK, but it is still important to follow Resistance Management Guidelines when using a pesticide (see Section A - Principles of IPM and Table 2 on the homepage).

For further information on safety of pesticides to individual biological control agents, consult your biological control supplier. General guidelines on the selection and compatibility of pesticides within IPM are given below:

‘Safe' in IPM
The following products are safe to biological control agents once spray deposits are dry, and may give some control of leafhoppers. All act by contact only, so good coverage of the undersides of the leaves is necessary:

Eradicoat or Majestik (maltodextrin),acts by physical means. Approved for use on all protected adible non-edible crops.
Savona (fatty acids), has Specific Off-label Approval (SOLA) for use on protected leafy herbs.

‘Moderately harmful' in IPM
The following products are harmful to some biological control agents:

Spruzit (pyrethrins plus naturally derived oil) is approved for use on protected and outdoor edible crops including herbs. Pyrethrins are harmful to many biological control agents, but only for a few days after application, thus can usually be used with care within IPM programmes.
Calypso or Agrovista Reggae (thiacloprid), is a neonicotinoid insecticide with a SOLA for use on protected leafy herbs. Calypso was shown to be effective against ‘sage' leafhopper on sage in HDC project FV PC HNS 245 (Cole, 2003). Its 14-day harvest interval limits its practicality on short-term herb crops, but it could be useful for end of season clean-up of the pest on stock plants (but N.B. the SOLA restricts use to between 1 April and 31 October).



‘Harmful' in IPM
Various pyrethroid products (cypermethrin, deltamethrinand lambda-cyhalothrin) have Specific Off-label Approvals for use on protected leafy herbs. They may give some control of leafhoppers but are purely contact in action, so good coverage of the undersides of the leaves is necessary. Pyrethroid insecticides are harmful to biological control agents for up to three months after application, thus they are incompatible with IPM.

Full details for the use of biological control agents and compatibility of pesticides are available from biological control suppliers or consultants. Also see Table 3 on the homepage.
Pesticide approval information in this guideline is current at 30 September 2010.
Regular changes occur in the approval status of pesticides arising from changes in pesticide legislation or from other reasons. For the most up to date information, please check with a professional supplier or with the Information Office at the Chemicals Regulations Directorate (CRD) Tel: 01904 455775; or on their website (CRD | Pesticides Home Page | Pesticides).
Always follow label recommendations or statutory conditions for use on Specific Off-Label (SOLA) notices of approval.
Always follow instructions for Pesticide Resistance Management guidelines given on the label or SOLA.
Growers must hold a paper or electronic copy of the current SOLA before using any product under the SOLA arrangements. Any use of a pesticide with a SOLA is at grower's own risk. Relevant SOLAs are sent to HDC members by HDC, or are available from CRD (see above) or from consultants.
Use pesticides safely.