Keeping an eye on these known hot spots will help warn of an impending outbreak. Thorough coverage is essential when applying miticides, so use plenty of water. These sometimes appear on the stems and leaves of strawberries at about the time of bloom. The insects are known as spittlebugs because of the peculiar, spittlelike substance with which they cover themselves. They often are seen in meadows and on plants in uncultivated fields.
Spittlebugs have sharp beaks with which they pierce the stems of plants and suck the plant juices.
The insects first feed at the base of the plants but later move up to the more tender foliage. The nymph or young stage produces the frothy material and remains in this protective substance until developing into the adult stage. The insect overwinters as an egg. Nymphs appear in May or June and complete their development in 5 to 8 weeks. Egg laying occurs primarily during September and October.