Description: Fleahoppers are small insects that have piercing-sucking mouthparts. Two important groups of fleahoppers are found in Georgia. The cotton fleahopper adult is 3-4 mm in length, yellowish-green in color, and has distinctive small black dots covering the upper surface. Nymphs may be very small and appear as all legs and antennae. Nymphs of the cotton fleahopper may appear white to light green in color. The black fleahopper or garden fleahopper adult is dark black in color. Adults are about the same size as the cotton fleahopper. Early instar nymphs will appear light green and progressively darken as they mature to adults.

Hosts: Cotton, vegetables, fruits, clovers, ornamentals as well as most spring, winter, and summer weeds and grasses.

Damage: Fleahoppers are true bugs that feed by piercing the plant with very small mouthparts and sucking out the plant juices. Fleahopper injury is very similar to tarnished plant bug. The damage is most inconspicuous and is not evident to the eye. Damaged plant tissue will often wilt and may abort. In cotton, damaged pinhead squares may show a slight discoloration of the infected anthers. In fruits and vegetables, damage may appear as indented or cat-faced injury. Fleahopper injury is also associated with poor seed germination. This is especially important in seed production systems like cotton, alfalfa, clover and canola. All life stages are capable of causing plant injury.

Cotton fleahopper adult
Photo by: UGA Archives

Cotton fleahopper adult
Photo by: Bill Lambert, UGA

Cotton fleahopper feeding on bollworm egg
Photo by: David Jones, UGA