How to Remove Spittlebugs

Wipe the foam off your plants with a cloth and pick out the nymphs. You may want to wear gardening gloves while you do this, but it’s OK if you don’t. The bugs and their foam aren’t harmful to your bare skin. After removing the nymphs, crush them between your fingers or put them in a bucket of soapy water, which will kill them.

Use a garden hose with a strong stream of water to spray the foam from your plants. This method gets rid of your current spittlebug problem and also drowns any remaining eggs, saving you from dealing with the next generation of nymphs. Take care to spray your plants several times over the following weeks to be sure the garden pests don’t return.

Put 1/2 cup of hot peppers, 6 cloves of garlic and 2 cups of water into a blender and pulse. Let it sit for 24 hours and then strain the mixture and add a few teaspoons of liquid dish soap. Store the mixture in a marked spray bottle. Spray the plant where you removed the spittlebugs. It’s a good idea to wear eye protection and cleaning gloves when applying the pepper mixture.

Consider installing blanket row coverings over your growing plants. This chemical-free intervention lets in rain and sun but keeps garden pests out. You can also introduce some predatory insects into your yard — such as praying mantises — to eat the spittlebugs. Another option is to use bird feeders to attract feathered friends to your yard so they can eat the spittlebugs, helping you to reduce your bug problem.