Ruud Kleinpaste: Passionvine hoppers in Christchurch

The Garden City is becoming more and more the home of that Aussie sap-sucking pest we knew so well in Auckland, and it shows in the number of people that contact us on talkback radio. 

Until recently, this species was a North-Islander – it slowly spread further and further south: Nelson, Blenheim, Golden Bay, further south along the west coast and also down the east coast of the South Island: Kaikoura, Christchurch and Banks Peninsula. 

I’ve seen them in Akaroa a few years ago, so they have been hanging around the warmer Canterbury spots for a while. 

I reckon this is a nice example of climate change in action. 

Damage to a large range of garden plants:  

They suck sap from a wide variety of host plants, often climbers (Wisteria, Passionfruit vines) and Perennials (salvia, Hydrangeas, Camellia, you name it!!). 

Sap-sucking is their big impact on garden plants – sometimes they debilitate their host, pooping honeydew all over the place and that creates a deposit of sooty mould, like with so many sap-sucking insects in the garden. 

The damage starts as soon as the little fluffy-bums appear on the scene (in mid-Spring). 

Now, these are the Passionvine Hopper control tricks for Autumn: 

Currently they are adults, with quite cute moth-like wings that are partially see-through. These jumpy sapsuckers are impossible to hit with chemical sprays.  

The female hoppers mate and lay eggs on thin twigs or branches and also on the tendrils of growing vines (such as Passionfuit vines): 

Easiest thing to do is to find those egg-laying sites and prune them off in late autumn - early winter. Chuck them in the Ultra Low Emissions Burner and they won’t hatch next spring. 

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