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LEAFMINER INSECTS
Leafminers are insects that develop and live within the leaves of plants. The leaves are injured by the insect feeding on the interior of the leaf so that all that remains is a brown, thin layer of epidermal tissue. Even though leafminers destroy the leaf they inhabit, usually the percentage of leaves destroyed is small. However, large infestations, reoccurring over several years will begin to stress the plant.
In the case of Birch trees, leafminers can be serious insect pest because a weakened Birch is vulnerable to the Bronze Birch Borer. Boxwood leafminer doesn't put as much stress on the plant, but it does affect the appearance of the shrub.
Many different insects are leafminers, including certain flies, wasps, moths, and beetles. The immature (larval) stage of these insects produces the distinctive mines within the leaf tissue. Adults lay their eggs on the leaves or insert them under the leaf surface. For some leafminers the pupae stage also takes place within the leaf. More commonly, the insect larva, after it completes it's feeding, cuts a hole in the mined leaf and drops to the ground to pupate.
Photo: Ferenc Lakatos, University of West-Hungary, Bugwood.org
HOW TO CONTROL LEAFMINER INSECTS
Leafminer insects on ornamental trees or shrubs are controlled best with products that are carried systemically throughout the plant. This method of treatment provides control even when the insect is protected within the plant leaves. Leafminer control can be obtained with soil injections in the fall or early spring or foliar treatments can be applied soon after the leaves start developing. Light colored kidney shaped mines are the signs that leafminer hatch has taken place.
Deep-root fertilization will help affected plants recover from the damage caused by leafminers.
Photo: Steven Katovich, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
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Owen Tree Service provides tree, lawn, and landscape services to the following cities and towns:
Genesee County, Michigan:
● Burton
● Davison
● Flushing
● Goodrich
● Linden
● Otisville
● Clio
● Fenton
● Gaines
● Grand Blanc
● Montrose
● Otter Lake
● Flint
● Genesee
● Lennon
● Mt Morris
● Swartz Creek
Lapeer County, Michigan:
● Almont
● Brown City
● Columbiaville
● Imlay City
● Metamora
● Peck
● Attica
● Clifford
● Dryden
● Lapeer
● North Branch
● Sandusky
● Hadley
● Mayville
● Otter Lake
● Silverwood
Macomb County, Michigan:
● Armada
● Clinton Twp
● Grosse Pointe
● Macomb
● New Haven
● St Clair Shores
● Centerline
● Detroit
● Grosse Pointe Farms
● Ray
● Sterling Heights
● Chesterfield
● Eastpointe
● Grosse Pointe Shores
● Memphis
● Romeo
● Utica
● Clinton
● Fraser
● Grosse Pointe Woods
● Mt Clemens
● Roseville
● Warren
● Harrison Twp
● New Baltimore
● Shelby Twp
● Washington
Oakland County, Michigan:
● Auburn Hills
● Bloomfield Village
● Ferndale
● Orion
● South Lyon
● Berkley
● Clarkston
● Franklin
● Madison Heights
● Ortonville
● Southfield
● Beverly Hills
● Clawson
● Hazel Park
● Milford
● Oxford
● Troy
● Bingham Farms
● Commerce Twp
● Highland
● Novi
● Pleasant Ridge
● Walled Lake
● Birmingham
● Davisburg
● Holly
● Oak Park
● Pontiac
● Waterford
● Bloomfield
● Detroit
● Huntington Woods
● Oakland
● Rochester
● West Bloomfield
● Bloomfield Hills
● Farmington
● Lake Orion
● Oakland Twp
● Rochester Hills
● White Lake
● Farmington Hills
● Lathrup Village
● Orchard Lake
● Royal Oak
● Wixom
St. Clair County, Michigan:
● Algonac
● Casco
● East China
● Harbor Beach
● Lexington
● Peck
● Allenton
● Clay
● Emmett
● Harsens Island
● Marine City
● Port Huron
● Berlin
● Clyde
● Fair Haven
● Jeddo
● Marysville
● Richmond
● Brockway
● Columbus
● Fort Gratiot
● Kimball
● Memphis
● Sandusky
● Capac
● Cottrellville
● Goodells
● Lakeport
● North Street
● St Clair
