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Grape leafhopper
Rufus Isaacs, MSU Entomology
Home > Scouting guide> grape leafhopper
Grape leafhopper adults are orange-yellow with some dark spots and yellow lines on the forewings and about 1/8 inch long. Grape leafhopper has 1.5 to 2 generations per year, with peak abundance of adults occuring in late July and again in late August. Adults overwinter in leaf litter in or around vineyards and feed on weeds as temperatures exceed 60°F (16°C) in the spring.

After mating, they move to young grape foliage in late May and early July to lay clear, crescent-shaped eggs inside the leaves. First generation eggs hatch in mid- to late June, and the flightless nymphs take a month to develop into adults. Cold, wet springs and winters are damaging to leafhoppers.

Grape leafhopper Grape leafhopper
Grape leafhopper adult. 3mm. Grape leafhopper nymph.
Sampling for grape leafhopper
In labrusca vines, growers can sample for grape leaf-hopper in the third week of July to determine the need for management. Examine 100 leaves across two edge and two interior vine-yard sites. At each site, inspect five leaves (leaves 3 to 7) on one shoot of five vines to determine whether the leaves are showing any white/yellow stippling on the upper leaf surface. If more than 10 leaves of the 100 show damage, apply an appropriate control for the leafhoppers. If populations are only at the vineyard edges, consider area-specific management. Insecticides applied for grape berry moth may control grape leafhopper as well.
Grape leafhopper Grape leafhopper
Early signs of damage include stippling along leaf veins. Severe damage includes necrosis on leaves and premature water stress.
Comparison of grape and potato leafhoppers
Character Grape leafhopper Potato leafhopper
Color Light yellow Green-yellow
Behavior Walks forward Walks sideways
Postition on vine On inner canopy leaves On leaves on ends of shoots
Most susceptible Labrusca grapes Vinifera and hybrid grapes
Damage symptoms Stippling on leaf surface, becoming red/brown when severe. Leaf yellowing and cupping on wine grapes. Stippling on juice grape leaves.
Other leafhoppers
Threebanded leafhopper, Erythroneura tricincta, and Virginia creeper leafhopper, Erythroneura ziczac, can both be found in eastern U.S. vineyards. Their biologies are similar to that of grape leafhopper. The threebanded leafhopper adult is brown and black with some orange flecks on the wings. The Virginia creeper leafhopper adult is pale yellowish or white with a zigzag stripe down each wing and distinctly red cross-veins.
Additional information
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Funding for this web site provided by Project GREEEN, American Farmland Trust, EPA Region 5's Strategic Agricultural Initiative program, The National Foundation for IPM Education, the Center for Agricultural Partnerships and the MSU Integrated Pest Management Program in collaboration with MSU Extension and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station. Partially support from NC-IPM Center.

05/24/11 Contact: E. Haney
     
Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station Michigan State University Extension