A fan of ours on facebook has a problem with leaf miners and asked what to do… Leaf Miners are a difficult garden pest to take care of so I thought I’d share with everyone some best practices:
Leaf miners got their name because in their larval stage while they are feeding on your plants, they go deep into the stem so we don’t know of any truly effective spray for the larval stage of this insect (organic or chemical)…The larval stage typically lasts about 3 weeks. To treat this problem… first give your plants some organic fertilizer. (Talk to your local garden center specialist if you’re not sure which to buy for the type of plant) The fertilizer will help your plant grow despite the damage.
We recommend using our new EndALL® Insect Killer (with Neem Oil, Pyrethrin and Insecticial Soap) to kill the eggs and adults of this insect to prevent a next generation of infestation after this one matures. You’ll want to spray every 7-10 days for at least 3 weeks to make sure you get all the adults and their eggs as the larvae develop. If you want to try to kill the larvae you could order parasitic wasps online. They are a beneficial insect that will feed on and kill these pests while they are still in the plant.
Our Insect Library is an excellent resource for more information visit: http://www.saferbrand.com/advice/insect-library
To learn more about these specific insects go to:
All about leaf miners»
All about parasitic wasps»
I’m iprmsesed! You’ve managed the almost impossible.