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Leaf Miners

What Are Leaf Miners?

Leaf Miners belong to the True Fly (Dipterafamily and are mainly a pest of glasshouse crops, causing problems in crops such as Tomatoes. The Liriomyza species is the most common species in Europe.

Leaf Miner Damage & Symptoms

The adults lay their eggs in leaves. These develop into larvae that burrow through leaves, creating mines. When Leaf Miners are in high numbers, this can be disfiguring for ornamental plants and can reduce plant vigour. For fruiting plants such as Tomatoes, severe infestations can reduce yield.

How To Control Leaf Miners

The first step is to remove any leaves showing Leaf Miner damage, such as pictured above. In glasshouses, hanging Yellow Sticky Traps just above the plants can help catch the adult Leaf Miners. If there are high numbers of leaves infected, parasitic wasps can be introduced to glasshouses to parasitise the larvae in the Leaf Miner mines; this prevents them developing.