Leaffooted Bugs

While visiting the garden of one of our customers yesterday, we observed these little nasties on a young watermelon.  These are adults and nymphs of the leaffooted bug.  They are distinguished by the leaf-like projections on the hindlegs of the adult, which can be clearly seen on the adult in the lower left part of the picture to the right (click on the picture to zoom in).  They suck juices from the vines with their piercing mouth parts.  This particular species seems to be watermelon specific, but other members of the family attack a wide variety of food crops (especially squash and tomatoes).  The best method of control is to physically remove them early in the season when the nymphs cluster together as seen below.  They are quick and hard to hand pick and they emit a noxious odor when startled.  Because of this we recommend removing them with a vacuum.  The best tool is an insect vacuum, but a small handheld dustbuster or shop vac will work as well.  Once you are done, stuff a rag in the end of the intake and put the vacuum in the freezer over night to kill the insects.  Diatomaceous earth should also be effective and will be used if this problem persists.  We try not to use nonspecific treatments like diatomaceous earth when possible to avoid killing bees and other beneficial insects.