Foamy spit on plants: harmless parasite or big problem?

I’ve spotted some sort of frothy bubbles on a few of my plants, it looks like “spittle”, is it a problem?

→ Shared by Dominique, France

No doubt, you’re dealing with a spittlebug.

Philaenus spumarius is a parasite, typically harmless, that doesn’t require any treatment with conventional insecticides, even if it’s organic.

Your first move should simply be to rinse your plant with a hose to get rid of as much of this froth as possible, but then again only if you notice that your plant is suffering.

Otherwise, let Mother Nature do her thing. If you really need to treat, opt for a biological insect treatment method.