Like any pest, the spittlebug is dangerous. But the spittlebug scum poses no threat to humans. So, nothing bad will happen if you accidentally touch it. Except for the disgust... Moreover, in Madagascar, due to the high humidity, there are so many spittlebug that in hot weather, the foam simply runs down in streams. It creates the sensation of rain and... what personally struck me is that the locals bathe in it and collect this liquid, just like we do with rain. Ugh, of course, but everyone has their own traditions.
Both the larvae and adults feed on plant sap and are particularly fond of young twigs and leaves. I've noticed before that if there are young green parts available, the spittlebugs will immediately move from the older parts to them. If not, they'll settle for whatever's available. So, what happens to the plants?
- the leaves become wrinkled and over time turn yellow and fall off;
- development slows down and then stops completely;
- the yield is reduced by half, that is, you will collect what has managed to form, but there will be no more ovaries;
- the generative and vegetative organs of the plant are deformed:
- immunity is lost;
- The plant takes a very long time to recover.
But that's not all. These spittlebugs are direct carriers of viral diseases, especially the jaundice virus.
But negative changes occur not only due to the loss of juice and nutrients, but to a greater extent due to the poison that is injected into the green mass from the leafhopper (why the leafhopper, I wrote here).
Keep in mind that the spittlebug will continue to drink sap for a long time, but most often stops around harvest time, sometimes even before the fruit sets. It attacks almost all crops, but most commonly potatoes, grapes, cabbage, beets (especially sugar beets), raspberries, strawberries, currants, fruit trees, dahlias, roses, and chrysanthemums. And quite often, it also attacks common trees, like my willow:
An interesting fact: it turns out that the foamy leafhopper can jump up to 60-70 cm in height.
Very informative