Spittlebugs on Leyland Cypress: Contact Insecticide Before Mid-July

Spittlebugs on Leyland Cypress: Contact Insecticide Before Mid-July

Spittle masses with tiny white/brown insects on 5-year-old Leyland cypress are pine spittlebugs. They overwinter as eggs, hatch in spring, and produce protective froth while feeding on sap. Adults emerge in July, leaving sooty mold.

Control Options

• Contact insecticides: Dursban, Decathlon, Orthene, or any aphid spray applied with force before mid-July.
• Early treatment prevents population buildup and next-year twig mortality.
• Prevention: fertilize and water for vigor; spray at first sign of spittle.

Population cycles are weather-driven; healthy plants tolerate low levels.