By Michelle Wallace, former Durham County NC Cooperative Extension Horticulture Agent
By far our most popular post of all time, this article, originally titled “What’s That Bug? Leaf-footed Bugs in the Garden,” first appeared on our blog in June 2015. With veggie season in full swing, it’s just the right time to revisit this piece on a common pest. Plus we’ve updated it with new photos and resources.
(Left to right) Detail of leaf-footed bug eggs on the underside of a tomato plant. They are cylindrical, laid in a single row, and typically hatch in 5-7 days. Leaf-footed bug nymphs often cluster together. (Image credit: Debbie Roos, NC Cooperative Extension, Chatham County Center; Texas Master Gardeners, Galveston County)
I work in a garden with a group of volunteers. The other day, a sharp-eyed person pointed out some bright orange-red bugs like these on the leaves of one of our potato plants.
Identifying Leaf-footed Bugs
These are the nymphs of the leaf-footed bug, a relative of stink bugs. Adult leaf-footed bugs are brown, with a flattened, leaf-shaped area on their hind legs. Both the nymphs and adults are pests that damage buds, flowers, fruits, and seeds. Leaf-footed bugs feed on many plants, including tomatoes, peaches, blueberries, beans, okra, and pecans. When these bugs feed on tomato fruit, they cause yellow, hardened spots to develop. Feeding on other fruits can cause brown spots to shriveled, misshapen fruits, depending on the number of bugs and the time the fruits are damaged.
Stippling and yellow spots on the tomato caused by piercing and sucking mouthparts of both stinkbugs and leaf-footed bugs. The crack in the tomato is most likely due to inconsistent moisture, not insect damage. (Image credit: University of Georgia Cooperative Extension)
Adult leaf-footed bugs overwinter in weedy areas or under mulch and debris. They lay eggs in a row on the undersides of leaves or on stems. Eggs hatch in 5-7 days, and nymphs mature in 25-30 days.
Adult leaf-footed bug. There are 7 known species of leaf-footed bugs in the southeastern US. Identification tip: One species common in our region, the eastern leaf-footed bug (Leptoglossus phyllopus), is chestnut brown in color and has a distinctive horizontal white stripe on its back. (Image credit: Debbie Roos, NC Cooperative Extension, Chatham County Center)
Controlling Leaf-footed Bugs
Leaf-footed bugs and their stinkbug relatives are difficult to control, but scouting for these pests now will help keep populations from building up throughout the season. Removing the nymphs and adults by hand and dropping them into a container of soapy water is an effective means of control when populations are small. You may want to wear gloves when picking leaf-footed bugs from your plants – they do have an unpleasant smell. There are few organic pesticides that are effective on these bugs, but hand picking now and reducing places where the adults can overwinter will help keep next year’s population in check. If you choose to use an insecticide to control a large population of leaf-footed bugs, pyrethroids can be used carefully and as directed.1
Just a quick word of caution, though – some assassin bugs (they are beneficial insects) are also orange and can look similar to the leaf-footed bug nymphs shown above. For photos of assassin bugs, see the University of Kentucky Entomology website.2
Notes
1–Leaf-footed bugs are also susceptible to insecticidal soaps. According to NC State’s Plant Disease and Insect Clinic, pyrethroid pesticides labeled for use by homeowners are also toxic to fish, so avoid using around pools, ponds, and streams. Pyrethroids are also toxic to beneficial insects like bees.
2–Consider a biological control method. Beneficial insects that are natural predators of leaf-footed bugs include look-alike assassin bugs, tachinid flies, native parasitic wasps, and spiders. Birds also prey on leaf-footed bugs. Making your garden attractive to beneficials may help curb unwanted pest populations.
Resources and Additional Information
NC Plant Disease and Insect Clinic Factsheet on the eastern leaf-footed bug
https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/eastern-leaf-footed-bug
Clemson Cooperative Extension’s Factsheet on attracting beneficial insects to your landscape
https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/incorporating-beneficials-into-the-gardeners-toolkit/
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