Are Leaf Footed Bugs Messing With Your Tomatoes?

And messing with citrus, pomegrantes, watermelons, magnolias, and a lot more!

From the garden e-mail bag, June from Walnut Grove, CA wants to know: “I've been growing tomatoes in this area for probably seven years and have never seen these leaf-footed bugs before on my tomatoes. But this year, the tomatoes are absolutely overrun with them. I'm afraid they are going to be overwintering on my property somewhere, and I'm going to have the same problem next year.”

You would be correct, June. Leaf-Footed bugs have been in our area now for over 10 years, and they are popping up in more and more places, on more and more different fruits, vegetables, nuts, and ornamental plants. And yes, they will overwinter in your yard.

Leaf-footed bugs have piercing-sucking mouthparts that allow them to feed on plant parts, particularly seeds. They are a close relative of stink bugs (more on that later).

There are dozens of leaf-footed bug species throughout the world, but three primary species of leaf-footed bugs are found in the United States: