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how to eradicate Passionfruit Vine Hoppers?

Posted 106 days ago

Help! I have always had a few passionfruit vine hoppers in late Spring and early summer, but experienced an absolute plague this year - thousands of them. All the lower leaves on 2 x clematis have died and fallen off - the lemon tree (4M hi x 3M wide) has distorted leaves and the leaves are sticky with honeydew and have sooty mould forming. Hundreds of hoppers on a Kaffir lime (2M hi), which I have sprayed multiple times with long acting Pyrethrum (works briefly). Also clusters all over a rhododendron and in a variegated pittosporum hedge (40M long x 1.8M hi).

Too late to do anything this year, as the damage has been done and the hoppers are at the end of their life cycle, but I need to get in early for next year's crop of pests - I imagine there would be thousands of eggs ready to hatch next Spring.

In order to get to them when they hatch next season:

When do I commence spraying?
What chemical (preferably systemic because of the height of the lemon tree and length of the hedge) can I use? (Confidor? Anything else recommended?)
How often do I need to repeat spray?
Any other treatment more effective than spraying?

Any advice gratefully received.