Spittle Bug Infestation - Ask Extension
Hello. My garden is infested with Spittle Bugs and I lost a few herbs and flower plants due to these bugs. I've tried everything to get rid of them an...
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Spittle Bug Infestation #888422
Asked October 21, 2024, 2:38 PM EDT
Hello. My garden is infested with Spittle Bugs and I lost a few herbs and flower plants due to these bugs. I've tried everything to get rid of them and none worked. This included spraying the plants with water to move the nynphs, with the slimy spittle bubbles, off of each plant stem, killing the nymphs anytime I saw them, using a mix of dishwater soap and water, and neem oil (just on the flowering plants, not the herbs). Now that it's fall, I want to clear out my garden of any dead stalks but I am fearful of another infestation next season. Is there anything I can do? Now my neighbor shared that she has an infestation for the first time ever and I feel my garden is to blame. :(
Thanks.
Anne Arundel County Maryland
Expert Response
Insect populations can rise and fall from a variety of natural factors, so this year's outbreak might not necessarily repeat itself the next year. Either way, removing dead plant debris in an autumn/winter/early spring clean-up can help to control pest populations when they overwinter around the base of the plant in the leaf litter or old stems (as froghoppers, the type of insect that spittlebugs are, seem to do). While this can also negatively impact beneficial insects overwintering in the same leaf litter, at least if you have other plants elsewhere in the yard to attract a diversity of beneficial insects during the growing season, that can help to suppress the population of pests in future years. There's nothing else you would need to do as a preventative tactic this time of year.
Miri
Miri
