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Leaf-Footed Bug

Leaf-Footed Bug

Leptoglossus species

Insectalso: Leaffooted bug, Leptoglossus

A group of large, sap-sucking true bugs named for the small leaf-like flares on their hind legs. They pierce fruit, nuts, and seeds with a long beak, and in gardens they are common pests of tomatoes, pomegranates, and many tree fruits, where their feeding spots and blemishes the harvest.

🔎 How to spot it

Adults are narrow, brown to gray bugs about three quarters of an inch to an inch long, usually with a thin white or yellow band across the back and flattened, leaf-shaped expansions on the hind legs. Some species carry two pale spots just behind the head. The young nymphs are smaller, rounder, and often orange to reddish, and cluster together. Eggs are laid in a neat row, like a string of beads, along a stem or leaf vein.

🥀 Damage it causes

They feed by inserting a long needle-like beak into fruit, nuts, and seeds. On tomatoes the feeding causes pale or yellow spots, hard cloudy areas, and dimpling under the skin; on pomegranates and tree nuts it can cause sunken spots, staining, and dropped or aborted fruit. Damage is mostly cosmetic on thick-skinned fruit but can ruin nuts and downgrade soft fruit.

🛡️ Prevent it

Clean up weeds and overwintering shelter such as woodpiles and leaf litter near the garden where adults hide through winter. Watch for the bead-like egg rows and the clustered orange nymphs in spring and remove them while they are grouped and easy to reach. Where practical, bag developing pomegranates or protect prized fruit with netting.

🧯 If it is already here

Handpicking is effective, especially in the cool of early morning when the bugs are sluggish, knocking them into soapy water. The young nymphs are far easier to kill than the armored adults, so target them early with insecticidal soap or a labeled insecticide. Broad-spectrum pyrethroids work on adults but are toxic to bees and natural enemies, so use them sparingly and never on open bloom.

💡 Good to know

Leaf-footed bugs are strong fliers that move into gardens from surrounding weeds and trees, so an area can be reinfested even after a cleanup. They are sometimes confused with the beneficial wheel bug or with stink bugs, but the flared hind legs and narrow body set them apart. Hand control of the clustered nymphs gives the best results in a home garden.

🌱 Plants it attacks

236 plants in the library can be attacked by this pest

Adirondack Blue PotatoAdzuki BeanAji Amarillo Pepper🍓Albion Strawberry🥔All Blue PotatoAmbrosia CornAmerican Beauty Dragon FruitAmerican PersimmonAmish Paste TomatoAnaheim PepperAnjou PearArbequina OliveArkin CarambolaAroniaAsian PearAsian PersimmonAtemoyaAunt Molly's Ground CherryAvocadoBanana PepperBartlett PearBeach PlumBeauregard Sweet Potato🍅Beefmaster TomatoBetter Boy Tomato🍅Big Beef TomatoBig Boy TomatoBing CherryBitter MelonBlack BeanBlack Beauty EggplantBlack Cherry TomatoBlack Currant🍉Black Diamond WatermelonBlack Krim TomatoBlack RaspberryBlack SapoteBlack Tartarian CherryBlack-Eyed PeaBlood OrangeBlue Lake Green BeanBluecrop BlueberryBosc Pear🍅Box Car Willie TomatoBoysenberryBraeburn AppleBrandywine TomatoBrewster LycheeBroad Windsor Fava BeanBrown Turkey FigBurgundy OkraCalamondinCannellini BeanCantaloupeCarolina Reaper PepperCasaba MelonCatawba GrapeCayenne PepperCelebrity TomatoChampagne LoquatCharleston Gray WatermelonCherokee Purple TomatoChicago Hardy FigClemson Spineless OkraConcord GrapeContender PeachCornelian CherryCortland AppleCosmic Crisp AppleCranberryCranberry BeanCrenshaw MelonCrimson Sweet WatermelonCubanelle PepperCupani Sweet PeaDamson PlumDwarf Cavendish BananaEarly Girl TomatoEdamameElberta PeachElderberryEnglish Shelling PeaEureka LemonEvergreen HuckleberryFairy Tale EggplantFantasia NectarineField PeaFinger LimeFingerling PotatoFino de Jete CherimoyaFordhook 242 Lima BeanFresno PepperFuji AppleGala AppleGalia MelonGerman Butterball Potato🍅German Queen TomatoGhost PepperGoji BerryGolden Bantam Corn

For educational and informational purposes only. Pest control advice is general guidance drawn from university cooperative extension sources; always identify a pest positively and read and follow the label on any product before use, especially around food crops, children, and pets.