A new critter is invading SC and it’s coming after the okra, cotton and more. What to know
As if South Carolina doesn’t have enough invasive animals roaming around causing havoc here comes the two-spotted leafhopper, a scourge to cotton and okra.
Clemson University agricultural experts recently confirmed the presence of the fast-spreading leafhopper along the coastal plain, which stretches from the Sandhills to the Atlantic Ocean.
They are asking for people to report sightings in areas west of Interstate 77 and Interstate 20, where the insect has not yet been widely documented.
Native to the Indian subcontinent, it was first detected in the United States in Florida in 2024 before moving through Georgia. It has also been seen in Mississippi, Alabama and North Carolina.
Two-spotted leafhoppers are pale green, about a quarter of an inch in length and slender. The wings of adults are transparent with a black spot near the tip of each forewing.
Nymphs move sideways and will jump when disturbed; adults will fly away.
Young and old leafhoppers feed on the underside of leaves, causing leaves to turn yellow, red and then brown, Clemson said.
“Optimal timing for treatment remains under investigation,” said Jeremy Greene, entomologist and associate department chair for Clemson University’s Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences. “Ongoing research will help determine if and when intervention is necessary.”
It is also known as the cotton jassid, but Greene said two-spotted leafhopper is a more appropriate name because it harms more than cotton crops.
“Because this insect affects multiple crops beyond cotton — including okra, sunflowers, eggplants and others — the name ‘cotton jassid’ is too host-specific,” Greene said.
The Entomological Society of America will determine its official name, Clemson said in a news release.
Agricultural organizations across both the Southeast and Southwest are warning cotton farmers, especially, to be aware of the pest.
It has traveled far fast.
“Do not underestimate this pest. Based on what we’ve seen, it needs to be addressed, and growers need to be scouting fields for this pest,” Phillip Roberts, University of Georgia cotton entomologist, told the magazine Farm Progress.
“This species is problematic wherever it occurs,” the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Plant Industry said in a pest alert publication.
To report sightings, contact your local Clemson Cooperative Extension office or the entomology team at the Edisto Research and Education Center.
This story was originally published September 19, 2025 at 5:30 AM with the headline "A new critter is invading SC and it’s coming after the okra, cotton and more. What to know."