Spittlebugs
The blobs of white froth on stems in late spring are made by spittlebug nymphs. Each one sits inside its froth, sucking sap from the stem, and the bubbles keep it from drying out and hide it from predators. In gardens the damage is minor and cosmetic, the nymphs are gone in five to eight weeks, and no control is needed. The University of Minnesota says managing them is unnecessary. Wipe or hose the froth off if it bothers you. The one real pest is the two-lined spittlebug in southern lawns, where heavy numbers can brown centipedegrass and St. Augustinegrass.
Meadow spittlebug nymph (Philaenus spumarius) in its spittle mass. Photo: pending.
Identification
The spittle itself is the identification. It is a white, bubbly mass up to 3/4 inch across, on stems and leaves. Inside is a soft, elongated nymph up to 1/4 inch long that changes from orange to yellow to green as it grows, and nymphs have large red eyes on the sides of the head. Adults, called froghoppers, are 1/3 inch long or less (about 1/4 inch in the meadow spittlebug), stout and brown, grey, tan or mottled, and jump with enlarged hind legs. They look like fat leafhoppers but have two stout spines on the hind leg, not rows of them.
The meadow spittlebug, Philaenus spumarius, is the commonest of Minnesota's 54 species. In the Southeast, the two-lined spittlebug, Prosapia bicincta, is the one that matters. Its adults are about 3/8 inch long, dark brown to black, and most have two red or orange lines across the wings, and its nymphs live low in the lawn canopy, where they are hard to find.
Easily confused with
- LeafhoppersAlso a pestAdult spittlebugs have two stout spines on each hind leg plus a crown of spines at the tip; leafhoppers have long rows of small spines.
Damage symptoms
Heavy feeding can distort leaves and slow growth on soft herbaceous plants. UC IPM finds spittlebugs do not seriously harm established woody plants. In most gardens the only symptom is the froth itself. Two cases are different. On strawberries, WSU notes infested plants are stunted and leaves and fruit can be distorted. In southern lawns, two-lined spittlebug feeding streaks centipedegrass and St. Augustinegrass purple to brown, and heavy feeding looks like drought: yellowing, browning and dead patches. In some crops spittlebugs can also spread Xylella fastidiosa, the bacterium behind Pierce's disease of grapes, though leafhoppers such as the glassy-winged sharpshooter are the main carriers.
- White froth on stems and leaves from late April into June
- Slightly twisted or distorted young leaves where many nymphs feed
- On strawberries: stunted plants and distorted leaves, buds or fruit
- In southern lawns: purple-to-brown streaks on the blades, then yellow and brown patches
- On holly: distorted leaves from two-lined spittlebug adults
Lifecycle & degree days
The meadow spittlebug spends the winter as eggs in leaf litter or plant stems. Nymphs hatch in late April or early May, feed at the base of plants and move upwards, and mature in five to eight weeks. The adults then leave for grass, pasture and weeds, and the females return in September and October to lay eggs. There is one generation a year in Minnesota and one or two in California. The two-lined spittlebug has two generations in South Carolina. Its eggs hatch in March and April, adults appear in June, and adult activity peaks in August and September. The second generation usually does more damage than the first.
- Generations / yr
- 1 (meadow, Minnesota); 2 (two-lined, South Carolina)
- Nymphs present
- Late April–June (meadow); 5–8 weeks
- Two-lined adults peak
- August–September
- Overwinters
- Eggs in plant debris and stems
Host crops
The meadow spittlebug has at least 400 recorded hosts, mostly broadleaved herbaceous plants. The University of Minnesota lists ornamental grasses, roses, chrysanthemums, clover, strawberries and herbs among the garden ones. The two-lined spittlebug prefers centipedegrass and St. Augustinegrass, and also feeds on bermudagrass, bahiagrass and zoysia. It also feeds on hollies, asters and morning glories.
Monitoring & action thresholds
The University of Minnesota calls management unnecessary, because spittlebugs occur in small numbers, are present only briefly and cause very little damage. UC IPM advises ignoring them or washing them off. No numeric threshold was found for two-lined spittlebug in turf either; Alabama Extension advises treating only if populations become large.
In gardens, there is little worth counting. If you want to keep an eye on strawberries or other favoured plants, the University of Minnesota suggests checking the base of the plants for froth and nymphs every two weeks from late April or early May, then the undersides of young leaves as the plants grow. On centipede and St. Augustine lawns, Clemson advises watching closely in July, ahead of the late-summer adult peak. Part the grass and look for froth low in the canopy, and for the black-and-red adults hopping up as you walk.
Biological control
Nothing to release, and nothing needed. Birds eat the adults. Assassin bugs, minute pirate bugs, hoverfly larvae, harvestmen and spiders take the nymphs, and parasitic wasps attack eggs and nymphs. WSU adds yellowjackets. UC IPM notes the effect of these natural enemies is not well known, and biological control of spittlebugs is generally not considered important.
Cultural controls
In gardens, the simplest fix is also the recommended one: wash them off. In southern lawns, a healthy, well-kept turf with less thatch is the first line of defence.
- Hose the froth and nymphs off with a strong jet of water, or wipe them off by hand
- Cut or pull infested weeds near beds in spring, before the nymphs mature and move
- In southern lawns, water, mow and fertilise correctly so the turf tolerates feeding
- Dethatch infested lawn areas and topdress with sand to remove the nymphs' habitat
- If a lawn treatment is needed, use an insecticide labelled for spittlebugs on turf, mow and water first, apply late in the day, and keep children and pets off until the label's re-entry interval allows
Chemical, last resort
Rating: the effect on this pest's natural enemies if a spray hits them or they feed on treated plants. REI is the re-entry interval on farm and greenhouse labels; home labels usually give none, so follow the label.
Sources
UMN Extension, Spittlebugs (Schuh, Hahn & Wold-Burkness, reviewed 2026)
UC IPM Home and Landscape, Spittlebugs
WSU Hortsense, Strawberry: Spittlebugs
Clemson HGIC, Two-Lined Spittlebug (C.S. Gorsuch, 2003)
Alabama Cooperative Extension, Two-Lined Spittlebugs in Lawns (J. Kelley, 2021)
Environ. Entomol. 2024: Prosapia bicincta in Hawai'i Island rangelands (species name, turf pest status)
Page status
Drafted from the sources below, then checked claim by claim against those sources on 23 September 2026.
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