HELP!!! Leafminer infestation..

[Jonrek]

HELP!!! Leafminer infestation..

how can i stop/control leafminers larvae & adult from laying eggs...
my spinach and tomatoes have this leafminers.. they look wilt and dry leaves..

IDK what to do...

any suggestions from you guys??


Thanks
Jon

 

[digitS']

The only thing I have done for leafminers in things like spinach and beets is what UCDavis (link) suggests.

". . . clip off and remove older infested leaves."

Leafminer problems are good examples of where the gardener really should get down and look at the plants. They "get the jump" on all of us.

You don't have much use for those leaves now, Jon. Neither does the plant. May as well send them, and their nasty pests, to a burial in the compost.

Steve

 

[Ridgerunner]

You get different stories from different sites on leaf miners. Somehow I have a little more trust in this one than some of the others I read.

http://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/houseplant-pests/leafminer-control/

Life Cycle: Mature larvae overwinter in the soil under host plants. As temperatures warm in the spring larvae pass to the pupal stage and appear as young adults in late April. Mated females use their needle-like ovipositor to lay up to 250 eggs just under the surface of the leaf epidermis. Deposited eggs may appear as small raised spots on the leaf. Within 10 days hatching larvae tunnel through the mid-leaf tissue, feeding as they go and leaving tell-tale wavy lines that are visible on the surface. Larvae mature in 2-3 weeks, and when ready to pupate, leave the leaf and drop to the soil. Once on the ground, they dig 1-2 inches into the soil and pupate. Adults emerge within 15 days as adult flies. There are several generations per year.

Since they overwinter in the soil, I don’t think I’d put them in the compost. I think I’d send them to the landfill or burn them.

 

[digitS']

. . .

Since they overwinter in the soil, I don’t think I’d put them in the compost. I think I’d send them to the landfill or burn them.

Ah, ha! Good idea, Ridgerunner.

Steve