How to Get Rid of Plant Hoppers

Spraying

• 1

  Inspect your garden for the presence of plant hoppers. Begin checking on a daily basis early in the growing season. If you notice these pests are present, it is time to begin a control program.

• 2

  Spray the garden plants with either insecticide or insecticidal soap. Both methods will control plant hoppers, but you must apply insecticidal soap more frequently than poison. Wear gloves and eye protection when spraying plants.

• 3

  Check the garden on a regular basis to monitor the presence of plant hoppers. Insecticidal soap normally kills only the pests it is directly sprayed on, while chemical insecticides typically have residual action. Reapply according to the manufacturer’s instructions. You may need to apply insecticidal soap every few days, while insecticide may need to be applied only every two to three weeks.

Trapping

• 4

  Place sticky traps throughout your garden area. In order to provide a measure of control, scatter them throughout the rows. If you see a lot of plant hoppers, increase the number of traps; decrease the number of traps if you see few plant hoppers.

• 5

  Check the traps at least once a week. If they are not catching many plant hoppers, you may want to consider reducing the number of traps, since these traps will also catch and kill insects that are beneficial to your garden.

• 6

  Remove the traps once the garden is harvested so that no more insects are killed. Consider removing the traps while plants are flowering, since these traps will catch and kill bees; this not only harms the bee population, it can also reduce the yield of your garden.