Kitchen Garden Forum

Is anyone good at identifying pests? I found a patch of froth (like Cuckoo Spit) on the leaves of our young Spring Green plants this week. Looking inside it, I found the little beastie below. He's only around 2mm long so hard to get a clear picture:



Initial thoughts were that it was a clubroot bug, but I understand the young of these are like maggots or grubs. Any suggestions on this one?

Cuckoo spit - cuckoo time arriving - I reckon that will be what it is - i.e. froghopper nymph.

Hi Alan,
I reckon that you are right although there is a variation in colour.
On my plot they range from white to green. I suspect the age of the bug has something to do with it.
JB.

Hi Johnboy

I haven't come across anything else that produces "cuckoo spit".

Hi Alan,
Neither have I.
JB.

Hi Colin

You say cuckoo spit, I say cuckoo spit, Johnboy says cuckoo spit. Take your choice

I assume, when you say "clubroot bug", you mean cabbage root fly. It certainly isn't that.

Both 'Lady's Smock' Cardamine pratensis (which is often covered in 'cuckoo spit' made by froghoppers) and brassicas are members of the cruciferae family. Presumably, that's why you found them on you spring Greens!

alan refail wrote:You say cuckoo spit, I say cuckoo spit, Johnboy says cuckoo spit. Take your choice

Hi Alan, yes the photo you've attached is identical to the beastie I saw, though the colour is slightly different. Guess I caught ours before he'd eaten much of our Spring Greens