Leaf miner fly
Learn about leaf miner fly and how to manage it in our expert giude
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time to act | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
The winding trails on leaves are caused by the larvae of a small, dark fly. During summer, the females make little nicks in the leaf surface to lay their eggs. A week later, these hatch into larvae, which tunnel along just under the leaf surface to feed. After 2-3 weeks, the larvae pupate inside the leaves and emerge as adults. The damage is mostly cosmetic but where many leaves are affected, the plant may be weakened or die. Different species of leaf miner fly affect specific plants.
Symptoms
A maze of beige or silvery trails appear and spread just below the upper surfaces of leaves.
Find it on
Many shrubs, perennials, vegetables, fruit trees and bushes
Organic
Pinch off infected leaves as soon as the first 'wiggling' trails are seen and dispose of them in the bin or burn them immediately.
October issue on sale now!
The October issue of BBC Gardeners' World magazine is on sale now, buy online or in stores now.
Plant of the Week: Cornus alba 'Miracle'
Save 25% and buy 1 x 4.5L pot for just £14.21.
Plus, if you're a subscriber, you can save an extra 10% on your order by using your exclusive discount code found in the premium section of our website.
Offer ends 23.59, Sunday 13 October.
Spend less on your autumn shopping
This month, we're offering all BBC Gardeners' World Magazine readers a 15%* saving across our specially selected partner websites - so you can find everything you need while saving £££s.
*Exclusions apply. Offer excludes delivery and some products. Not valid with any other offer.
Offer ends 23.59, Thursday 31 October.
