Buffalo treehopper

Insect

Buffalo treehopper

Stictocephala bisonia Kopp & Yonke

Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Membracidae

Distribution: Most fruit-growing states and provinces in eastern North America.

Photos

Egglaying causes slits in tree bark. Leo-Guy Simard, Ag. and Agri-Food Canada
B

The pale green adult exhibits a large thorax with two "horns" and a long posterior wedge-shaped body (A). The cream-colored eggs are laid in a groove on the tree bark, where they overwinter.

Crops Affected: apples, cherries, peaches, pears, plums

Damage

Attacks all deciduous fruit trees. Egg laying causes slits in the bark of trees (B) and can lead to the withering of young trees.

Management

Eliminate all alternative hosts such as leguminous plants growing in close proximity; remove shoots infested with eggs; if necessary, apply broad-spectrum insecticides to foliage if adults appear on young apple trees in June or July (seldom required).