Potato Leaf Hopper on Legume Vegetable
Return to insects
Potato leaf hopper (Empoasca fabae) can be a pest of beans, using piercing-sucking mouth parts to feed on plants. Feeding by both nymphs and adults can damage vascular plant tissues as the pests’ toxic saliva reduces movement of food and water. They migrate into Kentucky from southern areas during late spring. Adults are light green in color, wedge-shaped, and about 1/8 inch in size. Hopperburn (discolored “V” shaped areas on leaf margins) or downward cupping of leaves can be characteristic of potato leafhopper damage.
Potato leaf hopper adult.
(Photo: Ric Bessin, University of Kentucky)
Management:
- Avoid plantings near alfalfa.
- Monitor for adults and treat if populations reach more than 2 adults per foot of row or 5 nymphs per row foot.