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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] buggy question

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  • From: "Dawn M. Ripley" <ripley AT iglou.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] buggy question
  • Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2006 23:14:26 -0500

Actually, Shawnee, you could be doing yourself more harm by using a homemade soap concoction.  Perhaps others with more greenhouse experience can weigh in here, but homemade soap mixes can burn the plants, causing even more damage than what the insects could be causing. 

Insecticidal "soaps" are actually made from sodium or potassium salts combined with fish or vegetable oils that break down the waxy cuticle of certain soft-bodied insects.  I'd have to do some research to determine just how effective manufactured insecticidal soap is against spittle bugs.  I would imagine that it's fairly effective against the larvae, and perhaps even the nymphs, but not so much against the adults.

I've read that merely spritzing the plants with water to knock off the spittle and expose the nymphs can do much to control the insect, but I suppose that depends on the extent of your infestation. 

Anybody else with suggestions?

Dawn


At 09:55 PM 3/31/2006 -0600, you wrote:

Thanks Dawn, it is the spittle bug.  I hope that I have them under control with the soap treatment....I've never had this bug in the greenhouse before.  (I love that reference to the spitty bit resembling cappucino froth. Yucky...I can't wait to show that to another staff member who is grossed out just looking at the thing.)

Shawnee


From: "Dawn M. Ripley" <ripley AT iglou.com>
Reply-To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] buggy question
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2006 22:33:06 -0500

Shawnee,

Could your culprit be a spittle bug?  Check out these images:

http://bugs.bio.usyd.edu.au/Entomology/InternalAnatomy/imagePages/spittleBug.html

Dawn


At 09:04 PM 3/31/2006 -0600, you wrote:

Can anyone identify this bad boy--sorry, no photo-from this description:

    The larvae, yellowish light green, 1/8" ish long live inside a spitty looking glob--dime size or smaller suspended around the stem of mostly fine foliage plants.  The adult is vivid green, also 1/8", resembles a smaller leaf hopper somewhat, flies, but not so quickly that I can't catch/smash a few.

I am finding these in achillea and lavender plants in the greenhouse.   I have been dunking the infested plants in a soap and water solution which instantly dissolves the spitty bit, leaving the larva exposed.  The damage on the plants also resembles hopper burn, but the insects are definitely smaller than leafhoppers.

Shawnee

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