If the spittlebug became a superhero in the vein of Marvel’s “Ant Man and the Wasp,” it would have an unusual set of powers.
Not only could Spittlebug Man leap tall buildings in a single bound (or hop an impressive 2 feet in less spectacular bug form), but he could also secrete his own rather disgusting protective suit. The suit, made out of an organic pseudo bubble wrap that originates from Spittlebug Man’s rear end, would not only provide camouflage against our unusual superhero’s enemies, but also prevent harm to Spittlebug Man’s sensitive skin.
“When danger approached, he could open glands in his body to ooze goo,” said Richard Zack, an entomologist at Washington State University. “That’s a good way to deter predators.”
Spittlebug Man is probably quite a long way from becoming Marvel’s next superhero movie phenomenon, but this summer is prime viewing season for those who want to check out his less powerful cousins.
Spittlebugs, also known as Philaenus spumarius, are ubiquitous this time of year. You’ll find them in gardens, on trees, on thistles and in a host of other locations — with about 30 species across the United States. All you have to do is look carefully at the plants around you, Zack said.
“We get a lot of questions about these things every year,” Zack said of the WSU Department of Entomology. “People take walks at night and they see these things that look like somebody was spitting in their plants, so they ask us what’s going on in there.”
The insects aren’t particularly harmful to gardens, although they do like to feast on strawberry leaves.
They can be removed by simply washing them off with a garden hose, said Erika Johnson, master gardener coordinator at WSU’s Clark County Extension Office.
“The damage they do is pretty light,” Johnson said. “They don’t chow down and destroy the plants, although they may turn leaves a little bit yellow.”
The spittlebug eats by piercing a leaf or other plant part with its mouth and sucking the plant juice out, somewhat like a mosquito on an animal.
“The juice flows through the body of the insect, and plant juices aren’t real nutritious, so they have to suck a lot of it,” Zack said.
After it eats, the “spit” is secreted by the spittlebug out of its rear end.
Unlike other aphid-type insects — which don’t cover themselves in spit — the spittlebug evolved an unusual mechanism that blows air bubbles into its rear end secretions, frothing them up to form the bubbly mass that hides the insect from predators, protects it from temperature variations and keeps it from drying out.
“I describe this as an insect in a constant state of diarrhea,” Zack said. “They changed their biology a little bit compared to other aphids to create that froth. And they continue to feed under their mass of bubbly spit for about three weeks while they grow.”
After the spittlebugs emerge adults from their frothy cocoons after five to eight weeks, they live another four or five days — where their sole job is to lay eggs. Those eggs hatch in 24 to 48 hours, and new baby spittlebugs begin feasting and blowing new bubbly protective layers — starting the cycle over again.
“Another common name for the spittlebug is the frog hopper,” Zack said. “The adults look like a squat leafhopper, and their legs have large muscles in them. They can hop about 2 feet, which is a super feat for an insect.”
When their giant hopping muscles fail them, however, the bugs also become a valuable food source for creatures higher up the chain, Johnson said.
“Birds eat them,” she said. “They’re part of the web of life. And I think it’s pretty neat that they’re a food source like that.”
This summer is a great time for outdoor enthusiasts to investigate spittlebugs. If you look inside of their protective goop, they look like small, lime green insects with red eyes, Zack said.
“If you’re brave, you can take a stick or your finger, move the spit away and you can see the bugs,” Zack said. “As long as you don’t pull it out of there, it will just produce more spit and take care of itself. You can do that and you’re not going to hurt it.”
