How to Control Potato Leafhopper on Eggplant

Leafhoppers damage the foliage of eggplants, and make the garden environment unpleasant.

Potato leafhoppers, as the name suggests, feed on potatoes. The insects also will feed on beans, lettuce and eggplant. The pests become active in early summer and survive the winter, migrating north when the weather warms. Potato leafhoppers are very small and hard to see, which makes them hard to identify and control. Pests on edible plants aren't just unappetizing but potentially unhealthy. Control potato leafhoppers to keep eggplant and other garden vegetables healthy.

Things You'll Need

• Neonicotinoids or pyrethrin pesticide
• Garden hose

Instructions

1. Leave all garden lady bugs alone. Lady bugs, along with pirate bugs, consume potato leafhoppers. The insects may not control all populations of potato bugs, but they will keep infestation down.

2. Spray eggplants with pesticide in early summer, before leafhopper populations appear. Apply pesticide in the late afternoon or early evening. Neonicotinoids are a common synthetic pesticide for leafhoppers. Pyrethrin may be used as an organic pesticide on eggplants.

3. Check the undersides of eggplant leaves for signs of leafhopper eggs in late spring, May and June. Spray any larvae off the foliage with a garden hose.

4. Spray the garden with pesticide again in late June if leafhopper activity has been observed.

Tips & Warnings

• Always wash garden vegetables before consuming them, even when using organic pesticides.

References

• UMass Extension: Leafhopper, Potato
• University of Wisconsin-Extension; Potato Leafhopper Damage to Alfalfa; D.B. Hogg, et al.

Resources

• University of Kentucky Extension; Potato Leafhoppers; Lee Townsend
• University of Connecticut Extension: Potato Leafhopper - Empoasca Fabae