Monday, June 7, 2010

Who's Been Spitting on Your Plants?

Have you noticed what looks like blobs of spit on some of your plants lately? This foamy substance is brought to you by an insect called, appropriately enough, a spittle bug. The foam protects juvenile bugs from its predators. Once the young insects outgrow their need for protection, the spittle will disappear.

Even though spittle bugs feed by sucking juices from plant stems, they rarely do any damage to your plants. If you want to get rid of them, simply turn the hose on them and wash them away.

Want to know more? Here's a link to information about spittle bugs.