Hey All,
My first post here. This is my first year growing hop vines and just learned that my area is in for a cicada infestation this summer. I’m worried they’ll be snacking on my hop vines and cones. Anyone have experience dealing with these pests in the past? Also, do you know of any easy do it yourself solutions that may protect my plants. Example like soapy water spray or something? :-\
My understanding is that cicadas only consume plant sap. I don’t think hops are very sappy.
Locally we get locusts, those big fucking grasshoppers that eat everything just like in the Bible. Now they do eat leaves. They can strip a whole bine to nothing in hours, which kills the plant off. I’ve tried the various organic solutions, like soapy water and neem oil. Nothing keeps them from eating. I’ve even tried chemical pesticides (which I know I shouldn’t use) but all they do is eat all the leaves and die, leaving plenty other locusts behind. The only good answer I can think of is creating a physical barrier, like screening, that they cannot get through. I will probably have to enclose my hops in screening before the locusts show up.
Cicadas feed on sap under the ground for 13 or 17 years depending on the period. Usually this is on the roots of trees. As adults, they don’t feed on anything. Basically, they emerge, mate and die. So your hops are fine.
They are plenty sappy for aphids, for what that’s worth.