Potato leafhoppers are mostly a rural pest of maple trees in the landscape and in nurseries when alfalfa or forage fields are nearby, said Dave Smitely, Michigan State University Extension. When hay is cut, the leafhoppers leave the field to look for food plants, including maple trees (especially red, Norway and sugar), but also birch, apple, crabapple, viburnum and others.
Potato leafhopper (Empoasca fabae) adults are pale green, wedge-shaped, around 1/8 inch long and have white eyes. The larvae are usually more yellow-green and do not have wings. Leafhoppers can be found on the underside of foliage. Potato leafhopper larvae move sideways when disturbed.
If potato leafhoppers are a problem, maple trees can be sprayed with Talstar, Tempo, Scimitar or Sevin. Also, Discus can be used in the nursery as a soil systemic insecticide, but allow three weeks for uptake and movement into the leaves.
Photo by Martin Rice
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