apple leafhopper

The apple leafhopper, scientifically known as Empoasca maligna, is a small, greenish insect that damages the foliage of apple trees and other plants. It belongs to the large family Cicadellidae, which comprises over 20,000 species of sap-sucking insects found on nearly all types of plants.12

Leafhoppers, as a group, can cause significant economic losses to agriculture. They injure plants by feeding on their sap and can transmit plant diseases. For instance, the apple leafhopper causes apple foliage to become pale and speckled with white spots, and it has one generation per year. Other leafhopper species can cause more severe damage, such as "hopper burn" in potatoes, reduced grape quality, or stunted growth in various plants. Some leafhoppers overwinter as eggs inserted into twigs, while others hibernate as adults.324