Bug ID and control

[johnnyjoint]

Hello,

Can anyone ID these bugs? (I think leafhoppers?) Are they causing this visible damage? And how can I control them?



I have seen these and this damage before but only minor and I haven't worried, but this year it is getting way out of hand and I'd like to control it.

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[johnnyjoint]

So I think they are potato leafhoppers, but everything I can find that says it controls leafhoppers also says do not use on plants for human consumption. There doesn't seem to be much information about controlling them.

I think I might need to recruit an army of lacewings or something ...

 

[Waira]

Johnny :check:- you got it-- leafhoppers,... juveniles I think, so maybe you have eggs under the leaves,..(adults can fly).... easy to kill, question is what you have access to,...and from what you mentioned, it's all the nasty stuff,... what you want is something considered organic, or food garden safe, and there are all kinds of choices: Safer soaps, Neem, pyrethrum sprays, spinosad (name of the active ingredient) products,... again, it's what you can find locally, or order online,... Are you growing outside? I'm assuming so,... then you know this is a war, not a battle! What you kill now, will be replaced by new waves of incoming vermin- :slaps:...I know well, myself, growing outdoors! Yes, natural predators can help, but if it's bad now, use them as preventative agents after you take out the current population... :ama: let us know what you can find, mate!

 

[johnnyjoint]

Hello, thanks heaps for the reply!

Yes it's outdoor. There were already plenty of flying ones.

I tried something called Eco-oil, I 'think' it gets some of the smaller ones under the leaves but it doesn't seem very effective.

There is a product called Eco-neem, which contains Azadirachtin, I will try that, it is registered as safe for food crops in some countries such as the U.S. and the U.K. with no withholding period, just carries the standard "do not use on plants for human consumption" label here, it is not registered to control leafhoppers here either, but I did find some studies which suggested Azadirachtin is effective against leafhoppers.

There are several brands of Pyrethrum to choose from that all say they contain natural Pyrethrins and Piperonyl Butoxide, and they are safe to use on vegetables with 1 day with-holding period. They say not to use on "young seedlings" not sure how old the plants need to be!? They are registered for controlling leafhoppers here, it just doesn't list them on the packaging.

So I'll try the eco-neem, if that doesn't help I'll try the pyrethrum.

Thanks again for your reply, I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[Waira]

sounds solid to me johnny! Eco-Neem's active ingredient is the same as what's in Azamax, which is good stuff,... it's a derivative of neem oil in fact,... It's not an immediate contact killer, but sickens them fast, putting them off feed, screws with their growth/maturation, and makes the plant generally unpalatable,... kills eggs too! :firedevil: Happy hunting mate!

 

[johnnyjoint]

Hey thanks! Sounds like you know your pesticides.

Seems promising, a day after spraying there were virtually no adults on the plants anymore, I should have got onto it sooner as the damage was getting major! These things are everywhere, all over the native vegetation too, it's like a plague :-s. I guess I'm going to have to re-spray regularly.