LEAF MINER

any of a number of insect larvae that live and feed within a leaf. Leaf miners include caterpillars (order Lepidoptera), sawfly larvae (order Hymenoptera), beetle and weevil grubs or larvae (order Coleoptera), and maggots (larvae) of two-winged flies (order Diptera). Most leaf-miner burrows or tunnels are either thin, winding, whitish trails or broad, whitish or brownish blotches. Although leaf miners do not usually cause injury, they do mar the appearance of ornamental trees and shrubs. One method of control on garden plants is to remove and burn infested leaves. Spraying with nicotine solutions or dusting with various insecticides is effective only when the adults are emerging; the larval mining stage is unaffected by spray or dust.