Pest profile

Aster Leafhopper

Macrosteles quadrilineatus · Hemiptera: Cicadellidae[2]

The aster leafhopper, also called the sixspotted leafhopper, is a small leafhopper whose feeding does little harm but which is the main carrier of aster yellows.[1]

Aster leafhopper, a slender yellow-green leafhopper with small dark spots on the head
Aster leafhopper, a slender yellow-green leafhopper with small dark spots on the head. Photo: Ken Kneidel, public domain (CC0), via iNaturalist

How to identify it

  • Adults are about 0.19 inch long, narrow and wedge-shaped, yellow or yellow-green, with six black spots in three rows on the head.[1]
  • Nymphs look like small wingless adults and scuttle sideways when disturbed.[1]
  • Adults are weak fliers that tend to glide along on the wind.[1]

Look-alikes

Look-alikeHow to tell them apart
Other leafhoppersLook for the six black spots arranged in three rows on the head.[1]

Where it lives

The PNW Insect Management Handbook covers it on carrots and other vegetables in the Pacific Northwest.[1]

US map: public records from 24 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

It overwinters as eggs in the north and as adults in warmer areas.[1]

Each generation takes 27 to 34 days through five nymph stages, with three to four generations a year.[1]

Damage and signs

  • Feeding gives leaves a yellow, speckled look, which is usually minor.[1]
  • It's the main carrier of aster yellows, a serious virus-like plant disease in the Pacific Northwest that makes carrot roots proliferate.[1]

Health risk

It feeds on plants; the PNW Insect Management Handbook mentions no risk to people.[1]

Control

Prevention

Yellow sticky traps help detect leafhoppers.[1]

Keep them out

Row covers protect valuable crops, and aluminum foil or straw mulches can reduce aster yellows.[1]

Sanitation

Destroy weeds known to harbor aster yellows.[1]

Pesticides

Home-use options listed include insecticidal soap, neem oil, pyrethrins and spinosad, among others.[1]

Common questions

What tiny yellow-green leafhoppers are on my carrots?
Likely aster leafhoppers, which have six black spots in three rows on the head.[1]
Do aster leafhoppers spread disease?
Yes. They're the main carrier of aster yellows, a serious virus-like plant disease.[1]

Sources

  1. Pacific Northwest Pest Management Handbooks (OSU, WSU, University of Idaho), “Carrot: Sixspotted leafhopper (Insect Management Handbook).” pnwhandbooks.org/insect/vegetable/vegetable-pests/hosts-pests/carrot-sixspotted-leafhopper (accessed 2026-10-06)
  2. iNaturalist, “Macrosteles quadrilineatus taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/224357 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-14. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.