The Pro Farmer

Effective Ways to Control Leaf Miners: Chemical, Organic, and Biological Treatments

Leaf miners are 2 mm in length.

The adult fly lays egg in the leaf
The leaf miner eating the leaf inside making mines
The leaf miner becomes a cocoon and falls to the ground, there he will evolve to an adult fly

The larva is eating the green tissue of the leaves,

and making small tunnels in the leaves.         

As a result, the photosynthesis of the plants is reduced.

Without photosynthesis the plant’s growth stops,

and the fruits stay small or are no any.

Leaf miners’ mines on tomato leaves
Leaf miner mines on a cannabis leaf

Leaf miner treatment

It is recommended to use at least 3 kinds of different pesticides,

and alternate between them every 4 days,

in order to overcome pest’s resistance, and completely exterminate them.

For further information about this, read this post , and this post also.

There are 3 ways to eliminate leaf miners: Chemical, organic and biologic.

Chemical:

Best pesticides for leaf miner,

Active ingredients:

Abamectin
Spinosad                       
Spinetoram             
Cyromazine
Chlorantraniliprole
Thiamethoxam
Cyantraniliprole

organic:

Spinosad

It’s a natural substance made by a soil bacterium, that can be toxic to insects.

It affects the nervous system of insects, that eat or touch it.

It causes their muscles to flex uncontrollably.

This leads to paralysis and ultimately their death, typically within 1-2 days.

Spraying Spinosad, mixed with neem oil, paraffinic oil, or mineral oil will increase lethality.


Some products are more expensive than others, due to a higher percentage of Spinosad inside, which is certainly better.


Azadirachtin

Extracted from the neem tree, it is the active ingredient here.

Insects are repelled by their taste and smell, but they also work as a molting/growth disruptor.

This insect growth regulator (IGR) disrupts the life cycle between larval, pupal and nymphal stages.


Neem Oil

A naturally occurring pesticide, found in seeds from the neem tree.               

Azadirachtin is the most active component here.                                                         

It reduces insect feeding and acts as a repellent.

It also interferes with insect hormone systems, making it harder for insects to grow and lay eggs.


Biological:

Diglyphus isaea

Parasitic wasps that kill leaf-miners’ larvae in the mine, and lay their eggs on them.

A female can lay up to 60 eggs.

The eggs develop into parasitic wasps inside the mine (but outside the leaf miner), using the dead larvae as food.

Introduce the product at the first sign of pest presence.

Recommended when leaf miner infection increases.

Release the wasps, and allow them to fly out between the leaves in the morning or in the evening.

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