The corn leafhopper (Dalbulus maidis) is a familiar pest to corn producers and pest managers in Central (its native range) and South America. But like many pests, this insect has been steadily expanding its range northward with warmer weather. It is not tolerant to cold, and definitely cannot overwinter here, but summer detections are becoming more common in the US and there is always plenty of corn available once they get here
The main reason to worry about this insect is not its direct feeding on corn plants, but rather its capacity to vector a suite of viral pathogens that cause corn stunt disease. You can learn more about the disease from Purdue plant pathologist Dr. Darcy Telenko here: https://www.hoosieragtoday.com/2024/04/16/corn-stunt-disease-telenko/
There have been no detections of this insect in Indiana. You probably won’t know it when you see it. It is not easily distinguishable from our hundreds of native leafhopper species (see photo below), so we are currently participating in a monitoring network using yellow sticky cards. The network is coordinated by Oklahoma State University and extends throughout the Great Plains and Midwestern states (3 monitoring sites in Indiana). There have been a few detections of the insect this year, including in Missouri and Kansas, see the updated map below: https://cropprotectionnetwork.org/maps/corn-leafhopper
However, before we worry about this new invader, remember that we need both the pathogen and the insect to be present in the same place and at the same time in order for disease spread to happen. This is not one to lose sleep over right now. But it is worth knowing that this pest is on the move northward.
Adult (bottom) and nymphal stages of the corn leafhopper.
