foam on plants

Liccle trinity

Anyone any ideas if this foam on my garden plants is ok or not?
Im wondering if there is some sort of plight affecting them, quite a few plants are on their way out.

ted1

Also curious it's on my lavender and thyme

Liccle trinity

Yeah the lavender has been there years and never seen this foam before.

ted1

Little bit of research suggests its a spittlebug

http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/qa/milky-white-foam-stems-leaves.aspx

viper123

They are insect eggs laid by some kind of beetle in protective foam, I can't remember what species though

Liccle trinity

Thanks a mil. Much appreciated.

pwurple

That is cuckoo spit. Nothing to do with cuckoos, it's an insect.

Usually I just wash it off with a few jets from a hose. If it is really bad and you are not eating the plants, go for general insecticide. Bug clear or similar.

magicbastarder

pwurple wrote: »

If it is really bad and you are not eating the plants, go for general insecticide. Bug clear or similar.

i don't think it's worth buying insecticide for cuckoo spit; it's rarely that bad, and relatively easily controlled.

pwurple

magicbastarder wrote: »

i don't think it's worth buying insecticide for cuckoo spit; it's rarely that bad, and relatively easily controlled.

Righto. So to clarify, when I wrote 'If it's really bad', I meant, you know... "if it's really bad". Which it rarely is. :rolleyes:


As above, hose with water will do fine.

Mothman

In each blob of foam there is a froghopper nymph (baby). Have a look! The foam is produced by the nymph.
The foam will disappear soon as the nymphs mature into adults. While they do suck sap, the harm to plants is minimal. It may well be that insecticide will not be effective through the foam anyway, never mind the knock on effects on "good" bugs. If used now, it would seem to work, because the foam is due to disappear in any case.

wexie

Hi everybody,

I was just out watering the plants, bit of a chore but as long as the weather lasts I'll gladly do it every evening (glass of wine in hand ).

Anyways, I noticed a lot of plants have some form of foam on them, which I believe to be some kind of eggs, or protection for eggs of crickets? I've seen it in previous years and that's the best I can make of it.

My questions are :

1) is it harmful to the plants? (I've been rinsing it off for the moment)
2) what puts it there / lays it? Presumably there are currently no crickets around? At least I haven't seen any?

Hope someone knows, I'm quite curious.

thanks!!

pwurple

9 threads down, same topic.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056982807

It's cuckoo spit.

wexie

pwurple wrote: »

9 threads down, same topic.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056982807

It's cuckoo spit.

Ah thank you, and apologies.

Cuckoo spit

prospect

It is from larve, chewing on the sap???
(something like that anyway).


I washed it off my lavender the other evening with the garden hose. Within 2 hours it was just as bad again.