What's That Bug?

If you've noticed some odd-looking bugs in your garden or landscape recently, you might be seeing leaffooted bugs. These medium to large sized insects feed on tomatoes, pomegrantes, and certain nuts and ornamental plants.

Adult females can lay over 200 eggs during a two-month period during spring. The eggs hatch and the nymphs emerge and can be found together with the adults. During spring and summer, there can be two to three generations of leaffooted bugs in your landscape!

In spring, leaffooted plant bugs often feed on thistles and other weeds. When fruits start to ripen, adults migrate into gardens and landscapes and can be found feeding on tomatoes, pomegranates, and citrus as well as ornamental shrubs.

In fall, the adults may be found in protected areas like woodpiles, buildings, palm fronds, citrus or juniper trees, under peeling bark, or in tree cracks.

The leaffooted bug sucks plant juices from leaves, shoots and fruit. For most ornamental plants, the feeding causes no visible damage. However, when the bugs feed on fruit, they cause a variety of problems depending on the fruit.

To learn what to do about leaffooted bugs, visit the UC IPM Pest Notes: Leaffooted Bug.