Passionvine Hoppers

Hemiptera / Auchenorrhyncha

Scolypopa australis

What are Passionvine Hoppers?

TL;DR Take me straight to the 'how to kill them' section!

Passionvine hoppers (Scolypopa australis), a pest species from the Planthopper family, were accidentally introduced from Australia in the 19th Century. Both adults and juveniles suck the sap from a wide variety of plants, causing severe damage. Populations can skyrocket quickly; if left uncontrolled they will affect plant health, vigour and fruiting. Very heavy infestations can cause plant death.

Description:

Adult passionvine hoppers are about 6mm long, shaped like short, blunt cicadas with mottled brown wings. Transparent 'windows' and brown veins give the wings a lacy-looking appearance. Unlike most other planthopper species, passionvine hoppers lay their wings flat while they're at rest, forming a distinctive shape that resembles a 'jet plane' lolly. Short, powerful legs are used for walking and jumping. At the front of the head is a large plate called a clypeus, which looks like a prominent 'forehead'. Adults are most active from mid-summer to early winter.

Eggs are laid into holes punched into a neat, continuous row along stems or twigs. After each egg is inserted, pulped plant fibres are pushed in to plug the hole; these pulpy plugs often stick out, making the egg-laying site resemble a row of stitches.

The eggs hatch in spring. The hatched nymphs are commonly known as “fluffy bums”, due to the tuft of fluffy white filaments on their tails. These long filaments are sometimes fan-shaped, a bit like a peacock’s tail. Nymphs continue to hatch and develop from early spring through to late summer.

Behaviour:

Passionvine hoppers can be found in large groups of adults and nymphs, feeding on the tips of stems and leaves, where the most plant sugars are produced. They're active during daylight.

When disturbed, passionvine hoppers have a habit of hopping or jumping, which sometimes produces a loud snapping or clicking noise. Adults can fly, but will usually jump first when disturbed, before flying away.

Both adults and nymphs pierce the epidermis of the host plant and suck out sap (phloem) to extract sugars. They excrete waste water and sugars onto the surface of the plant, in the form of a sticky clear substance called honeydew.

This sweet, nutritious honeydew attracts ants, which are actually known to protect passionvine hoppers from predators, in exchange for honeydew! Honeydew on the leaves and stems of plants also encourages an opportunistic fungal disease called sooty mould to form. It's unsightly, but it can also be detrimental to plant health by interfering with photosynthesis.

Honeydew is also attractive to bees, which can be a challenge for beekeepers when bees gather honeydew formed from tutu (Coriaria) sap. Because tutu contains plant toxins, contaminated honey can be toxic to humans.

Symptoms of Passionvine Hoppers

• Clear sticky substance (honeydew) and/or a black powdery substance (sooty mould) on leaves, stems and trunk, possibly even on nearby fences or cladding
• You may see egg laying sites, with pulpy tips sticking out in a neat row, along stems or down the middle of leaves
• Shed skins (moults) are often visible on leaves: at each stage of growth, nymphs moult and leave their old skins behind. Moults are tiny, whitish or translucent and usually include the tufty tail filaments
• Stunted growth, reduced plant health and vigour
• Premature leaf drop or fruit drop
• Undersized, poor quality fruit
• New foliage and stems look wilted
• Dieback of individual sections of the plant
• Unexpected plant death

How to Control Passionvine Hoppers

Regularly monitor your plants for signs of passionvine hoppers. Small infestations, caught early, are much easier to control. 

Our go-to product to combat leafhoppers (including passionvine hoppers) is Yates Nature's Way Citrus, Vegie & Ornamental Spray. It's ACVM-registered to control leafhoppers on a wide range of vegetables, fruit trees, ornamentals and indoor plants, BioGro approved as an input for organic gardening, plus it has a convenient 24 withholding period for edible plants.

• Treat at the earliest sign of infestation for fast, easy and effective control
• Prune off any leaves or stems infested with eggs
• Wash off any parts of the plant covered in honeydew, by vigorously hosing with water.
• Control weed species on the list below, to prevent them becoming host plants that act as a convenient stepping stone to your garden. Use Yates Zero Super Concentrate Weedkiller for easy and effective weed control

Plants Impacted

Passionvine hoppers have a very broad host plant range. Here are some of the most commonly targeted plants.

Edible Plants:

• Avocado
• Citrus
• Cherry
• Fig
• Grape
• Kiwifruit
• Passionfruit
• Peaches
• Pumpkin
• Rhubarb
• Strawberries
• Squash

Ornamental Plants:

• Clematis
• Coprosma
• Cordylines (Cabbage Tree / Tī kōuka)
• Dahlia
• Eucalypts
• Ferns, e.g. Asplenium sp., Blechnum sp. and Ponga
• Hebes
• Hydrangea
• Manuka
• Maples
• Flax, Phormium sp.
• Pittosporum
• Sunflowers
• Verbena bonariensis

Weed Species:

• Agapanthus
• Barberry (Berberis sp.)
• Boneseed (Chrysanthemoides monilifera)
• Broom (Cytisus scoparius)
• Buddleia (Buddleja sp.)
• Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)
• Jasmine
• Lantana (Lantana camara)
• Privets (Ligustrum sp.)
• Ragwort / Fireweed (Senecio sp.)