Damage symptoms
Helopeltis is a sucking pest. Nymphs and adults are damaging stages which suck the sap from young leaves, tender stems and buds. The toxic saliva of the insect is injected to the plant tissues at the time of feeding causes reddish brown patches. As a result punctured snot to dry and die, curling of leaves, badly deformed and eventually fall off. The infested shoot also shows same such spots and subsequently drying of the shoots. Severely affected bushes look as if they have been torched by fire.