Leaf Miner on Beets

[ninnymary]

I have done alittle reading on leaf miner and I get the impression that there's not much I can do about it, other than planting in the fall when it's too cool for the bugs. I try squishing but there doesn't seem to be anything there to squish.

Can I just not worry about it? Will it affect the beets? I plan to give the tops to the chickens anyway. I also get it on my swiss chard but I just give those to the chickens also. I did plant swiss chard in the fall and there was not one leaf miner! I guess I can just switch my spring and fall planting but I prefer not to.

Mary

 

[Ridgerunner]

I get those occasionally. Best I can tell, they don't do any real harm. If I see one in a leaf I want to eat, I just tear it out. There's probably not enough "protein" in the leaf miner to even notice if you eat it, but, yeah, there is a yuk factor I have a problem with.

 

[hoodat]

It depends on the degree of damage. They are a catterpillar but are pretty well protected from normal cat sprays by being inside the leaf. Usually they aren't causing enough damage to worry about. If they are numerous enough to harm the crop there is probably something wrong with the nutrition of the ground they are Growing in. They only collect in large numbers on weak crops.

 

[ninnymary]

Well Hoodat, I hope the nutrition of the ground is ok. I did have my soil tested a couple years ago, amended it and have been adding my compost every year. It looks very nice and smells good too!

Mary