Spittlebugs! Never heard of Spittlebugs? You're not alone. There are approximately 23,000 species of Spittlebugs (Family: Cercopidae). Spittlebugs occur throughout the United States and can at least occasionally be found on almost any plant. Adult spittlebugs are inconspicuous, often greenish or brownish insects, about .25 inch long. Immature Spittlebugs are recognized by the frothy white mass that nymphs surround themselves with on plant tissue where they feed. In fact, the tell-tale sign of Spittlebugs is the plant foam and will normally appear in the plant where the leaf attaches to the stem or where two branches meet.
Spittlebugs suck plant juices. Heavy infestations distort plant tissue and slow plant growth. The obvious and occasionally abundant masses of white foam on cones, foliage, or stems may be annoying, but the spittlebugs do not harm established woody plants.
Spittlebugs can be tolerated; they do not usually cause significant damage. Handpick or wash off with water. Spittlebugs are more likely to become abundant on woody plants when they migrate from nearby herbaceous species. Cut weeds or wash spittlebugs off these alternate hosts in the spring, before the insects mature and can spread.
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