You may have heard about this new leafhopper in recent e-newsletters, or maybe you tuned into the recent HRI webinar, but should Ontario growers be worried? Well, if you grow hibiscus or import plants from the southern US, it might be wise to listen up!

The two-spot cotton leafhopper (Amrasca biguttula) is mainly a pest of – you guessed it, cotton– but has a wider host range and also attacks hibiscus. Growers in Ontario should be aware of this pest if importing hibiscus cuttings from the Southern U.S., where this pest has currently invaded.

Read on for a summary relevant to ornamental growers, including what to look for to prevent this pest from being introduced to Canada.

This summary article was written by Dr. Sarah Jandricic, Greenhouse Floriculture IPM Specialist, OMAFA.

The Pest:

A pest alert was first put out by Florida Department of Agriculture in 2023. Since then, Two-spot cotton leafhopper (or TSCL from now on, because I’m not typing that out forever) was first found in the mainland U.S. in the summer of 2025, according to a publication by several researchers in that region. TSCL originates from the Indian subcontinent, and is known to feed on cotton, okra, and eggplant. The only recorded ornamentals this pest feeds on are hibiscus and sunflower, but this host list may expand as we learn more about how this pest adapts to North American crops.

Regulatory Status:

Two-spot cotton leafhopper is currently a regulated pest in the Southern U.S.. Nurseries found with the leafhopper are placed under a “stop sale and hold order”. As of mid November, 43 nurseries were quarantined in Florida alone.

Given that it’s a regulated pest, any presence of the leafhopper on a shipment of plants returning to the U.S. from Canada could result in the shipment being held or turned around.

Note that this pest is NOT known to be able to survive at cold temperatures, so it is unlikely to establish outside in Canada, or in the Northern U.S.

Damage:

Damage from any leafhopper results in what is known as “hopper burn”. The adults and nymphs of TSCL feed on the contents of plant cells on the undersides of leaves, turning the leaves chlorotic, then red, then eventually brown. On hibiscus, leaf curling is also a symptom of feeding.

More Resources:

If you would like to learn more about this pest, including what Ontario growers can do to treat cuttings and help prevent the accidental introduction of this pest to Canada, continue reading the full version of this article on the ONFloriculture Blog: https://onfloriculture.com/2025/12/15/in-case-you-missed-it-two-spot-cotton-leafhopper-a-new-pest-of-hibiscus/

There’s was also an excellent webinar on this pest from the Horticultural Research Institute recently. You can access it using this link: Understanding and Managing the Two-Spotted Cotton Leafhopper

For updates on this pest, you can follow the University of Florida’s Tropical Research and Education Centre’s webpage.