Pine Spittlebug vs Sugarcane Woolly Aphid

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Pine Spittlebug Sugarcane Woolly Aphid
Scientific Name Aphrophora cribrata Ceratovacuna lanigera
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Aphrophoridae Aphididae
Size 9-12 mm 1.5-2.5 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Sap Feeders Herbivores
Regions North America South Asia (India, particularly Maharashtra and Karnataka; also Sri Lanka, Bangladesh)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Pine Spittlebug

A large spittlebug that feeds on pine and other conifers, producing masses of froth on branches. Heavy infestations can cause branch dieback in young pine plantations.

💡

Did You Know?

A single nymph can produce several milliliters of spittle per hour by pumping air into excreted xylem fluid.

Sugarcane Woolly Aphid

A small aphid covered in white woolly wax secretions that forms dense colonies on the undersides of sugarcane leaves. Heavy infestations reduce cane juice quality and sugar recovery in mills.

💡

Did You Know?

A major outbreak of this pest devastated the Indian sugarcane crop in 2002-2004 before biological control with parasitoid wasps brought it under control.