Leaf-footed Bug vs Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Leaf-footed Bug Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
Scientific Name Leptoglossus occidentalis Adelges tsugae
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Coreidae Adelgidae
Size 16-20 mm 0.8-1.5 mm
Habitat Orchards Forests
Diet Seed Feeders Sap Feeders
Regions North America, Europe Asia, North America
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Leaf-footed Bug

A medium to large brown bug with a distinctive white zigzag band across the wings and flattened, leaf-like expansions on the hind tibiae. It feeds on developing conifer seeds.

💡

Did You Know?

Originally native to western North America, this bug has rapidly invaded Europe since 1999, spreading across the entire continent in just two decades.

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

A devastating invasive pest of eastern hemlock in North America, originally from East Asia. It feeds at the base of needles, killing branches and eventually the tree.

💡

Did You Know?

It has killed millions of hemlocks from Georgia to Maine since its detection in the 1950s.