- Author: Lauren Fordyce
It may be after Labor Day, but some of your plants may still be wearing white, breaking that long-standing fashion “rule”! While many of us don't adhere to this old rule for our wardrobes these days, you may care about white stuff on your plants this time of year.
There are several white colored pest insects and diseases that you could be noticing on your plants.
Scales
Several types of scale insects are white. Each has their own host preferences, or plants they feed on.
- Cochineal scales feed only on cacti, usually prickly pears. On the outside they are white and waxy but...
![White frothy material is characteristic of spittlebugs. [J.K. Clark.]](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/UCIPMurbanpests/blogfiles/43605small.jpg)
What are those white, frothy masses you see on your rosemary, salvia, lavender, or other plants? Spittlebugs. The masses of froth can be found on plant foliage, cones and stems.
Inside the foamy mass you will find immature spittlebugs feeding on plant tissue. Adult spittlebugs (also called froghoppers) can also be found on the plant, and are ¼ of an inch long, and green or brown.
Although not aesthetically pleasing, occasional masses of spittlebug generally do not harm established woody plants.
The best way to deal with spittlebugs is to wash them off with water, ignore them, or handpick the bugs. Pesticides are not usually effective or needed and can cause harm to pollinators that often visit these...
