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Aphids, Scale Insects, Leafhoppers, and Tree Hoppers

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WTB Down Under?

Hi I have a bug!
Hi
These bugs seem to be everywhere at certain times of the year around the backyeard of our garden. As you can see they have two horn-like things on their backs. They’re about 1cm long or less and when un-disturbed they lay their ‘horns’ out flat behind them. I’m starting to think they may use them to jump. And yes, they jump. This one jumped an easy 1.5m when i scared it, others have jumped from the ground up onto the table and they all do it with amazing accuracy. When they jump they make a little ‘click’ sound. Also, they spend a lot of time walking around slowly, and when disturbed they like to walk sideways like a crab, nervously edging along before jumping if you startle them. I don’t mind them but they do freak you out occasionally when they jump, but more importantly i’d like to know if they are good or bad for the garden. Thanks!
Nick

Hi Nick,
Your otherwise thorough letter did not provide us with a location, which would have been very helpful. We are guessing you are from Australia and that these are probably immature Wattle Hoppers in the family Eurybrachyidae. They have sucking mouthparts and suck the sap from wattle trees, as acacia are known in Australia.

Hey thanks! You ended almost a decade of mystery. The bugs are from Sydney, Australia, i had to rewrite the email because of a mis-click and forgot to include the location the second time. Thanks again,
Nick

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