Pest profile

Katydids

Tettigoniidae (shown: Scudderia furcata) · Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae[2]

Most katydids nibble a little foliage and move on, but the forktailed bush katydid also chews young fruit, leaving corky scars later.[1]

Adult forktailed bush katydid, a slender green leaf-like insect with very long thin antennae, on a wooden rail
Adult forktailed bush katydid, a slender green leaf-like insect with very long thin antennae, on a wooden rail. (c) Matt Pelikan, some rights reserved (CC BY) — via iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0

How to identify it

  • Adults are fairly large, slender, leaf-mimicking insects, mostly green but sometimes brown or tan.[1]
  • Their slender antennae are nearly as long as the body or longer.[1]
  • Forktailed bush katydids are about 1-1/8 inches long; angularwinged and broadwinged katydids are larger with humped backs.[1]
  • Nymphs are wingless, and some have black-and-white banded antennae.[1]

Look-alikes

Look-alikeHow to tell them apart
GrasshoppersGrasshoppers are active by day and have shorter antennae; katydids rest by day and feed at night.[1]

Where it lives

California alone has at least 74 katydid species.[1]

US map: public records from 47 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

They overwinter as eggs inserted in leaf edges or lined up in rows on twigs.[1]

Eggs hatch from late March through May, and adults appear in midsummer.[1]

Adults sometimes come to lights at night and are sluggish in cool early mornings.[1]

Damage and signs

  • Forktailed bush katydids take a bite or two from a fruit and move on, so a few can mark many fruit.[1]
  • Wounds heal over and grow into sunken, corky, roughly circular patches; internal fruit quality is little affected.[1]

Health risk

They feed on plants and fruit; UC IPM does not describe any risk to people.[1]

Control

Prevention

Usually no control is recommended on home fruit trees, since the damage is cosmetic and katydids are gone by the time scars show.[1]

Traps and physical control

Because they're rarely abundant, catch and dispose of the few you see, easiest on cool early mornings.[1]

Pesticides

Where scarring was unacceptable before, spinosad after petal fall is an option; don't spray while plants are flowering.[1]

Common questions

What made the corky scars on my oranges?
Katydid feeding on small fruit is one cause, though cutworms and earwigs can leave similar scars.[1]
Are katydids grasshoppers?
They're related and look similar, but katydids have much longer, slender antennae and feed at night.[1]

Sources

  1. University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Katydids (Pests in Gardens and Landscapes).” ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/FRUIT/PESTS/katydids.html (accessed 2026-10-06)
  2. iNaturalist, “Scudderia furcata taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/55957 (accessed 2026-10-06)

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