Leafhopper apocalypse

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Napanap Los Gatos, CA Jul 21, 2014

Last winter I had to have some drainage work done on my house, which resulted in the destruction of most of my small garden. This spring I kept the surviving lavenders and thyme, and added more lavender, thyme, sage, rosemary, and mexican sage.

My garden now is inundated with small leafhoppers. There are so many of them that gently shaking a lavender results in a cloud of the small buggers rising up into the air. A couple of the lavenders are near death, and the rosemary and thyme are also affected, with stippled leaves and a generally unhealthy appearance.

I don't like using insecticide because I don't want to destroy the bug ecosystem, so I've tried adding ladybugs, and spraying with insecticidal soap. But neither has made a dent in the leafhopper population.

I fear the insect ecosystem has already been destroyed by the removal and replanting of most of the garden last winter. So now I'm thinking of using a pyrethrin spray to wipe out the leafhoppers and hopefully start over.

Is this a good idea? Any other suggestions?

Post #9899278
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Diana_K Contra Costa County, CA(Zone 9b) Jul 21, 2014

That would be the next step up in order from least toxic to more toxic. The original pyrethrum was derived from a certain daisy flower. Now they combine it will other materials that make it stick well, and is a bit more active, but will still break down quickly.

Post #9899736
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Napanap Los Gatos, CA Jul 21, 2014

Here's a photo of them BTW.

Thumbnail by Napanap
Post #9899841
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Diana_K Contra Costa County, CA(Zone 9b) Jul 23, 2014

Most of those do indeed look like leafhoppers.
They can transmit diseases between plants, so go for the next step in control, hope it works!

They are very agile.
The gentler sprays tend not to linger, so if you kill the ones on your plants now, new ones can move right in.

Post #9901481
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