White Apple Leafhopper – Typhlocyba pomaria

White Apple Leafhopper – Typhlocybapomaria

Common Name: White Apple Leafhopper

Latin Name:  Typhlocybapomaria

Appearance:

• Adults are white and 1/8 inch long. Leafhopper nymphs are yellowish green in color, tiny, and wingless and may be found on the undersides of older leaves. They move fast, both forward and sideways.
• White apple leafhopper eggs overwinter under the bark of 1- to 5-year-old trees. Hatch begins at pink and may last 3 to 4 weeks throughout May and June when the weather is unpredictable.

Territory:

Throughout the United States

Damages caused by White Apple Leafhopper:

White apple leafhopper adults and nymphs graze on foliage and do not directly harm the fruit. However, feces on the fruit can degrade its quality. As green tissue is damaged by leafhoppers sucking sap from the leaves, the leaves become speckled or mottled with white patches. Adults in abundance during harvest can be a major nuisance.

Life history and habits:

The nymphs develop for several weeks. Adults then deposit their eggs in the petiole and leaf veins. During late July and August, second-generation eggs begin to hatch. The nymphs feed in August and reach maturity in late August or September. During September and early October, overwintering eggs are deposited.