by Marijke Puts
Leaf miners are often tiny larvae of flies, sawflies, beetles, and moths. They live in the leaf tissue of plants. They can be hard to describe as they come from a variety of pests and insects.
Leaf miners adopt a sexual mode of reproduction. Adult leaf borers mate with the female miners, who in turn produce eggs. These eggs are deposited at the base of young plant leaves. Over time, as the climate gets warmer, the leaf miner eggs hatch into leaf miner larvae.
Because leaf miners feed on chlorophyll, they can limit the plant’s ability to create food. In cases of a bad infestation, this can lead to stunted growth for the entire plant. Aside from the massive energy depletion, leaf miners are almost harmless to plants.
Leaf miners can be difficult to control. This is because they are quite small and are lodged inside the plant’s leaf tissue. This process includes three control methods which are the; – Physical Control Method – Biological Control Method – Organic / Chemical Control Method