One of the many outdoor growers nightmares

Just wanted to share a pic of a Alf Alfa Hopper.
They are giving me a bit of trouble this year,
they cause a ring around the stems and in a few days the upper portion of the stem falls over.
Dead from the little ring up.
I dont have hords of them so I manually scan and kill all I see everyday and it seems to have knocked a dent in thier population.

Here is a link to info on them incase anybody else needs it.
http://www.ipmimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=1235195

Ok, thought I had 'em beat, these little fu$ks have got the ends of about 4 branches in last 2 weeks or so.

thanks alot

Already found one of these little devils on my outdoor girl. DAMN IT. I will win this year.

Little bastards better stay away from my girls!

Keep your eye out for 'em bro, dunno if alf alfa hoppers are in all regions but they seem to be my biggest problem outdoors.

Common Name: Threecornered alfalfa hopper

Scientific Name:Spissistilus festinus Say

Order: Homoptera


Description: Threecornered alfalfa hoppers are members of a group of insects often called treehoppers because they actively hop and fly when disturbed. Adults are green, about 1/4 inch long, and are taller than wide due to an expanded segment (prothorax) behind the head that extends over the abdomen. Nymphs are also green and wingless, lacking the enlarged prothorax. Each segment of the body is adorned with a pair of large filaments or spines.
Other members of this group include treehoppers, some of which mimic thorns in their appearance. The twomarked treehopper, Enchenopa binotata (Say); the buffalo treehopper, Stictocephala bisonia Kopp & Yonke; and the whitemarked treehopper, Tricentrus albomaculatus Distant, are other common species.



Life Cycle: Winter is spent in the adult or egg stage. Eggs are inserted into plants by the females. Eggs hatch and develop through 5 stages (instars) before becoming winged adults. There are 3 to 4 generations per year.


Habitat and Food Source(s): Threecornered alfalfa hoppers have a wide host range that includes alfalfa, clovers, cowpeas, grasses (Bermudagrass, Johnsongrass), small grains (barley, oats, wheat), soybeans, sunflowers, tomatoes, vetch and weeds. Adult and nymph stages can be found by sweeping soybean or alfalfa fields and weedy areas.



Pest Status, Damage: Adults and late stage (instar) nymphs "girdle" stems of soybeans and alfalfa with their feeding activities, causing stems to be brittle and plants to break at that site and fall over; nymphs feed on plant sap and may affect yield of a soybean crop when they occur in high numbers while pods are developing; medically harmless.

Threecornered alfalfa hopper. This insect can be found in soybean fields from the seedling stage through maturity. During the seedling

stage its feeding causes girdled main stems; in later growth stages petioles are girdled. Plants damaged in early growth stages may not

be noticed until they are much older and heavier. Because of the damaged stems, plants may lodge when stressed by wind, rain or

cultivation equipment. The restricted flow of nutrients in girdled plants can reduce the number of pods produced. However, this type of

damage rarely reduces yield because healthy plants adjacent to damaged plants compensate by producing higher yields. This is a

phenomenon known as “plant stand compensation.” Main stem girdling is difficult to prevent with insecticide applications. A better

management strategy for this type of damage is to manipulate seeding rates in order to obtain at least six undamaged plants per foot of

row.

A good warning!

I've never seen them, but I will definitely be on the look out.

I havent seen anymore yet, but I know if I saw one that more are around or coming.

I had no idea those things were so destructive, thanks for the heads up.

Cost me almost half of a beautiful plant one branch at a time.

Bad thing is, by the time you see the little f*cker he has probly already made his little ring

around the branch and it will die and fall over at that ring slowly but surely.