Leafminers

[Return2thebasic]

I have a few plants badly infected with leafminers. It was quite bad last autumn and I didn't get the time to sort it out. And now it looks a lot worse .

Can't seem to find anything effective and bio friendly. Pesticide would be the last resort, but I do need to treat them now before they spread all over across the garden.

Can someone help?

Neem oil is said only discourage them to take host of that particular plant, but doesn't kill them.

What plant is affected?

There are tiny wasps that will parasitism the larvae, insecticides will kill good and bad so can be counterproductive. The mining larvae are also protected inside the leaf. There's always a lag between an infestation starting and the predators turning up, so next year might not be so bad.

They often pupate inside the fallen leaves, so picking them up and disposing of them can help.

Whenever I see leaf miner damage, I pick that leaf off. It would be a bit of a chore if there's loads though.