Leaf Miners are killing me!!!

[edweather]

Anybody know of a pesticide, or anything that will stop these devils. I've tried Neem oil, and Sevin. They are having their way with our full grown tomato plants. It's hard to kill them because they work between the leaf layers.

[Dark Rumor]

https://www.planetnatural.com/pest-p...miner-control/

This is an interesting article and sheds some light on the leaf miners.

I have sprayed neem oil three weeks in a row and trimmed leaves. The last trimming was very heavy. None of this has solved the problem.

The article says to put plastic on the ground to try to interrupt the cycles. I will try the plastic on the ground this weekend, maybe.

Hopefully the plants can ride out the invasion.

[MissS]

DE ought to do the trick. If you are looking for a pesticide Permethrin is one to look at.

[heirloomtomaguy]

Spinosad. It will knock them dead in their tracks. I spray it every 3 weeks for caterpillars, leaf miners, and thrips. Add DE to your schedule and no bugs will ever harm your plants again.

[edweather]

Thanks for the replies. I will do some research on Spinosad and Permethrin. DE? Assuming you are talking about diatomaceous earth. I think it's a very fine powder right? How do you use it? Sprinkle on plants?

[MissS]

DE is diatomaceous earth. You can either apply it with a garden duster or add some to your garden sprayer and coat your plants on both the under and upper sides of the leaves. Please be aware that this will harm all insects that come into contact with it and needs to be re-applied after rain.

[Jeanus]

Leaf miners are inside the leaves so DE and most insecticides will not work. You have to spray the underside of the leaves and reapply frequently. Good Luck I never beat them I even went to a few master gardeners who told me leaf miners were only unsightly not a problem, I asked the University of FL and did not get an answer.
The only thing some people said would work was wasps but they fly away.

[brownrexx]

I don't see how DE is going to help since the adult leaf miner is a fly and it will ovaposit its eggs under the epidermis of the leaf while the DE sits on top of the epidermis. The larvae will then develop inside the leaf out of reach of the DE.

However the DE will remain on the surface where it can harm beneficials which may be looking to eat the larvae.

Since the adult fly lays her eggs on the underside of the leaves then possibly a contact insecticide like Neem will kill adults but I would not expect that it will harm the larvae inside the leaves.

I have never had leaf miners on my tomatoes but I do get them on swiss chard and beets. I remove and destroy the affected leaves to break the life cycle and I seem to get plenty of good leaves to harvest.

[heirloomtomaguy]

Originally Posted by edweather

Thanks for the replies. I will do some research on Spinosad and Permethrin. DE? Assuming you are talking about diatomaceous earth. I think it's a very fine powder right? How do you use it? Sprinkle on plants?

I apply it as a heavy dust. Be sjre to wear a mask or your lungs will be sorry.

[Togo77]

I have never used a preventive program and I am strongly considering starting one. By using a preventive program and spraying every three weeks do you have any concerns about decreasing the insect pollination?

[MissS]

Originally Posted by Togo77

I have never used a preventive program and I am strongly considering starting one. By using a preventive program and spraying every three weeks do you have any concerns about decreasing the insect pollination?

Yes, be very cautious using a spray program for pest control. It can harm your beneficials and kill your pollinators. Unless the leaf minors are out of control, I do nothing. They really do not do much harm to the plant but look rather unsightly. When you kill off your beneficials then the pests can multiply and become an even worse issue.
I have only treated the leaf minors once because they were so very bad. I only treated the infected plants so that the damage to other insects was minimal. It did work.

I do use spray on the tomatoes but it is minimal and only use it on a as needed basis. I spray with flea and tick shampoo for dogs. It takes care of anything that is on the plants at that point in time. That is one reason I only use it at dawn or dusk, the other is so that I do not burn the plants in the direct sun. I spray the plants on both the under and top sides. Allow it it sit for 5-10 minutes and then rinse it off. It kills aphids, caterpillars, white flies and such. This will not help you with leaf minors though.

[edweather]

Well, at least I picked a formidable foe. My damage is fairly significant, but mostly on the lower third of the plants. Will probably just keep the neem oil going, and am not going to invest in any more expensive pesticides. If Sevin can't get to'em.........

[BigVanVader]

Originally Posted by heirloomtomaguy

Spinosad. It will knock them dead in their tracks. I spray it every 3 weeks for caterpillars, leaf miners, and thrips. Add DE to your schedule and no bugs will ever harm your plants again.

This^

[Togo77]

Will probably just keep the neem oil going

What concentration do you use?
How often do you spray?

[heirloomtomaguy]

Originally Posted by Togo77

I have never used a preventive program and I am strongly considering starting one. By using a preventive program and spraying every three weeks do you have any concerns about decreasing the insect pollination?

I decrese the insect polulation to almost zero. I do not need good bugs if i no longer have bad bugs. The beneficial wasps still come and pollinate and mummify stray aphids. I have never had a problem with fruit set or pollination. One plant i do not use DE on is my strawberries. It ruins the quality of the fruit.