How to Get Rid of Passion Vine Hoppers
Whether it is your favorite perennial flowers or your vegetable garden there are certain bugs that love to gobble up your handiwork. One of the most notorious critters is the passionvine hopper. These sap suckers lay their eggs in the late summer and early autumn and tend to hatch in early spring. The nymphs are easy to identify due to there being tail like fibers on their back end.
With tube-like mouth parts, passionvine hoppers suck the sap and plant material. It is best to deal with the problem in early spring while the nymphs are not yet adults and able to lay eggs. There are several options available to do this at any stage of development.
Natural Methods to Get Rid of Passion Vine Hoppers
In an organic manner there are a few options available to homeowners that desire to avoid chemicals. The powers of garlic are again proven to be worthwhile as an insecticide by crushing garlic cloves and soaking them in water for several hours. Add to a spray bottle after straining the cloves. Begin spraying plants around the base of the plants and underneath leaves. One can also add dish soap to the mix of garlic and water as an additional deterrent and bug killer.
Using Chemicals
There are a few low toxic products available for use against this pest. One is an oil based product made of low toxic petroleum oil that is applied via a spray bottle. Saturate the foliage completely including the base of the plant. Another low toxic alternative is a new chemical based product that is sprayed on the plant and works from the inside out by being absorbed into the plant. This is a water based product and considered very low toxic the main ingredients being ethanol and phosphoric acid.
Disturb Their Home
Eliminating weeds that can be used as a host plant to lay eggs is essential in preventing more from breeding. Outside of passion fruit vine and citrus plants including lime, lemon, and orange, the passionvine hoppers utilize common plants like privet to lay their eggs in. In the autumn remove any weeds or twigs to discourage the bugs from laying their eggs in your garden plants. Another alternative is to use pyrethrum, which is made from the plant chrysanthemum or a systemic chemical to be rid of the bugs.
Introduce Natural Predators to your Yard
Whichever route you choose to go it is important to research the precautions of any chemical and how it affects all bugs as some bugs are beneficial to the garden. Ladybugs and spiders are the gardener’s friend as well as many other creatures that should not be destroyed.
We have total infestation and it is not possible to prune the 1300 plus trees etc we have. Pyrethrum just doesn’t do enough – can you tell me what the other (systemic) chemicals are please – we might need to try something really serious.
Can you please identify this systemic treatment:
“This is a water based product and considered very low toxic the main ingredients being ethanol and phosphoric acid.”
As mentioned in your text.
Regards
Dave Craig
Ron I feel for you, I have these horrible bugs throughout my whole garden and nothing seems to deter them. I have tried the methods recommended here including mashing garlic and soap. They have killed many of my precious plants but it isn’t possible to bug spray everything in a large, well-planted garden, it needs something far more serious than a sprayer. If anyone has any ideas I would be grateful.
try a chemical called maldison- comes in a rage of streanghts but got for one with 500mglL
good luck
I too have a near total infestation – not possible to prune out – can you please supply systemic spray solution.
The garden is covered all over by vine hoppers I have tried washup liquid, spraying all over. These insects have absalutely destroyed the grapes and the leaves are on the way They are on every tree and scrub and vegetable in the garden I was advised to spray during the winter early spring and just as fruit was flowering. I did this with LEBACID a Bayer product. I spray the folage as well as the ground at 10 mil per litre . Off course this time of the year they are in moth form. I desperate to elliminate these insects before my garden is destroyed completely
Thanking you
Malcolm Baillie
Tasmania Australia
thanks, tried the garlic spray idea – roses smell awful but seems to have almost immediate effect.