This is just a heads up that there have been a few reports of cotton fleahoppers in cotton.  This insect belongs to the plant bug family and can cause substantial square loss if present in sufficient numbers.

Photo Credit: Dr. David Kerns (LSU AgCenter)

Cotton fleahoppers are less than one-half the size of tarnished plant bugs, are pale green in color, and the adults have clear wings (pictured right).  The immatures are also light green in color.  Both immatures and adults feed on small squares, causing them to shed.  They typically don’t target large squares.  Thus, they are normally concentrated in the top few nodes of the plant.  We occasionally see this pest in the Midsouth, but it is a routine problem is parts of Texas.  Fortunately, cotton fleahoopers are relatively easy to control.  Thus, insecticide applications targeting tarnished plant bug should be more than adequate.

A general rule of thumb is to count a fleahopper as equivalent to one-half a tarnished plant bug.  Thus, the threshold would be 16 cotton fleahoppers in 100 sweeps during the first two weeks of squaring.  However, be sure to look closer if you are seeing or catching some adults.  The sweep net is not the best tool for sampling fleahoppers because small nymphs can be overlooked. Visually examining terminals and monitoring square retention will help make sure you are not missing a problem.  Issues with fleahoppers seldom persist past the second or third week of squaring because the plants can tolerate higher infestation levels, and many acres will have been sprayed for tarnished plant bugs.

FYI – The tarnished plant bug situation appears to be off to a typical start with scattered reports of treatment level infestations in some (but not most) fields.  We will have a better feel for things next week as more cotton fields begin squaring.  Be alert but don’t assume we are going to have higher than normal infestations.