How to Get Rid of Leaf Miners

Leaf miners are the larvae of insects that live inside the leaves of trees and plants. They are very common among citrus trees, but have been known to attack a number of different trees and some garden crops. They are difficult to get rid of because they live inside the leaf where they are protected from pesticides. Leaf miners are most frequently larvae of moths, flies or beetles.

Difficulty:

Challenging

Instructions

1. Saturate the soil surrounding the effected tree or plant with a pesticide that contains Imidacloprid, if the tree or plant is young. On older, well established trees and plants, this type of control has very little effect.

2. Try a pesticide containing Dimethoate if your tree or plant is older. Follow the package directions. If your tree that is effected is a Meyer lemon tree, you need to look for a pesticide that contains Maldison instead. Again, follow the directions on the label of the package.

3. Practice companion planting as a way of controlling leaf miners. Plant Lambsquarter, Velvetleaf or Columbine near the plants or trees that you want to protect. The leaf miners are drawn to the companion plant instead of your other trees and plants.

4. Purchase traps that are baited with pheromones and sold specifically for leaf miner control. When the insects are looking for places to lay their larvae, they are attracted to the traps. Follow the directions on the package for monitoring the traps and replenishing the pheromones.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid pruning your trees more than once a year. Once the leaves harden, it is more difficult for the leaf miners to bore through them.

• Do not remove damaged leaves from a citrus tree effected by leaf miners, because the undamaged parts of the leaf continues to provide food for the tree.

• If your trees are more than 4 years old, leaf miners do not effect the health of the tree or the yield of the fruit that it produces.