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How to identify it
- Adults are white and about 1/8 inch long; nymphs are pale white to greenish-yellow and feed on the undersides of older leaves.[3][1]
- Damage shows as white or yellowish-white speckling on the upper leaf surface; heavily fed leaves can look almost completely white, and dark tar-like spots of excrement may appear on fruit.[1][2]
- White apple leafhoppers walk forward and backward, while potato leafhoppers also walk sideways.[2]
Look-alikes
| Look-alike | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Rose leafhopper | Adults look nearly the same; the white apple leafhopper is the one that overwinters as eggs under apple bark and hatches around bloom.[2][1][3] |
| Potato leafhopper | Light green rather than white, it walks sideways and is a bigger threat to young, tender foliage of new plantings.[2] |
Where it lives
It is native to North America and found on apple trees from Utah to Kentucky and Connecticut.[1][2][3]
Biology and life cycle
Eggs spend the winter inserted under the bark of 1- to 5-year-old wood, showing as small raised bumps.[3][1]
They hatch from about pink bud through petal fall, and the nymphs feed on older cluster and spur leaves rather than tender shoot tips.[2][3][1]
There are two generations a year; the second runs from about August to October, and generations overlap in summer.[1][3]
Damage and signs
Health risk
It feeds only on plant sap; Utah State, Kentucky and Connecticut mention no risk to people.[1][2][3]
Control
Pesticides
Low numbers are not a concern. In orchards, monitor for nymphs from bloom through petal fall and again in August; Kentucky suggests treating the second generation at 3 or more nymphs per leaf. Some populations resist certain insecticides.[2][1]
Common questions
- Why are my apple tree's leaves speckled white?
- Likely white apple leafhoppers feeding on the undersides; check there for small pale nymphs.[1][2][3]
- Do white apple leafhoppers hurt the fruit?
- Their excrement can leave dark tar spots on apples, and heavy leaf damage can affect fruit color and cause early drop.[1][3]
Sources
- Utah State University Extension, “White Apple Leafhopper.” extension.usu.edu/pests/research/white-apple-leafhopper (accessed 2026-10-19)
- University of Kentucky Entomology, “Leafhoppers on Apples, ENTFACT-215 (R. Bessin).” entomology.mgcafe.uky.edu/ef215 (accessed 2026-10-19)
- Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, “Plant Pest Handbook: Apple (Malus).” portal.ct.gov/caes/plant-pest-handbook/ppha/apple-malus (accessed 2026-10-19)
- iNaturalist, “Zonocyba pomaria taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/203301 (accessed 2026-10-06)