Diptera, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera,

Coleoptera: Various Families

Identification
• Larvae are ¹/₁₆-¹/₄" long and usually whitish, legless, and flattened.
• Adult may be a small fly, moth, wasp, or beetle,  depending on the species.

Damage
• The larva tunnels between the upper and lower surfaces of the leaf causing a blotch or serpentine tunnel.
• Damage to birch and holly may be extensive enough to cause leaf droppage or reduce host health.
• Birch, holly, oak, sugar maple, black locust, honeysuckle, and many other trees and shrubs are hosts.

Management
• Most damage is only aesthetic and can be tolerated.
• Heavy birch and holly infestations should be treated.
• Systemic insecticides are effective if applied when damage first occurs.

Other Information
• Living within a leaf provides abundant food and protection from dessication and many predators.
• Parasitic wasps, however, are able to overcome this protection and keep most leafminer numbers low.