Order/Family: Homoptera/Cercopidae

Description:

• They are dull colored.
• The head is triangular, and the wings are held tent-like over the abdomen.
• They are 1/4- to 1/2-inch long.
• The small nymphs are greenish yellow and can be found under a “ball of spit” on twigs.
• They have piercing and sucking mouthparts.

 

Biology and Habits:

• They overwinter as eggs in bark cracks.
• Adults and nymphs feed on plant juices.
• Developing nymphs feed and develop while covered with an accumulation of spittle.
• Some species produce a toxin that destroys plant tissue.
• Typically there is one generation per year.

 

Plants Attacked:

• Dogwood, alder, birch, pine, holly, witch hazel, and redbud.

Damage:

• Leaf stunting may occur, followed by distortion and twig dieback.
• Occasionally diseases, such as a fungus in pines, are introduced through feeding sites.