Identification:
Adult female psyllids lay eggs that hatch into the wingless nymph stage. They go through roughly five nymph stages until they become fully winged adults. Adults are about 1/10 to 1/5 inch long and hold their wings over their bodies.
There are many different types of psyllid, Some of the more common types are described below.
Acacia- Acacia psyllid occurs on leaves, shoots, and flower buds of many acacia trees. Adults are green to brownish but often appear darker in colder weather. Eggs are very small and vary in color including gold, orange, or green.
Eugenia- Eggs are laid primarily along the edges of young leaves. Settled nymphs resemble a soft scale insect and appear flat when viewed from the lower leaf surface. The upper surface of infested foliage reddens and distorts.
Peppertree- Adult peppertree psyllids are greenish or tan and are egg shaped. The tiny, translucent eggs can be found near tender growth of the tree.
Damage:
Psyllid feed on plant juices and love leaves! They secrete honey dew wax, on which black sooty mold often grows. Pysllid reduce plant growth, and cause galls, distortion, discolor, and may cause the plant to die back. In high populations, pysllid can cause defoliation.
