Author: Marissa Schuh , Integrated Pest Management Extension Educator, University of Minnesota Extension. Reviewed by Natalie Hoidal. Originally published 2021, review and updated 2024. We are starting to get reports of Aster Yellows, read on for more information on this disease and the insect that moves it around, aster leafhopper. Aster Leafhoppers Can Move Aster Yellows Around Aster leafhoppers are small, quick-moving, and innocuous in appearance. They have piercing-sucking mouthparts that they use to feed on plant juices. Aster leafhoppers are small and yellow-green. Photo: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org While leafhoppers are often present in many crops, their direct feeding damage (referred to as hopperburn) doesn’t typically rise to economic levels. When they do become a problem, it is because they are travelling with a disease called aster yellows. Aster yellows infects and impacts many plant species, with crops of concern being carrots...
