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My shasta daisies are getting ready to bloom for the first time ever. I went out to check on them and there was this white foamy substance on them. One even had a wad of dead leaves. I took the hose and washed the stuff off left were some very small bugs that were whitish green and oval shaped. Anyone know what those are? I think I must spray or something. Any advice would be appreciated.
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Sounds like Spittle bugs to me... I get those darned things every spring, until things dry out around here. I know that you can kill them with strong doses of Sevin, although I hate to use that stuff.
Since they get on ANYTHING GREEN (& especially like my Strawberries & my 70 foot Iris row), it's easier to wash them off with the heavy spray setting on the hose nozzle. Some of them come back, but I keep doing it a few times a day till they're gone (usually not more than a couple weeks). They can't live without being inside that mass of bubbles they make, because they dry out real fast & die.
Other than the Cucumber Beatle, Spittle bugs are just about the only insect I have more than my share of! Good luck with your Daisies!
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Thanks for the info. It is funny, I came into the house and told my husband there was something on my daisies that looked like spit, but I didn't want to be too crude and describe it to you all like that. I will keep washing them off the plants if that is all it takes. Thanks again.