Sorry to hear about your sister’s issues with leaf miners last year. When leaf miners are present in a growing season, after harvest it is a good idea to till the soil in an attempt to destroy pupae and reduce the chances of adult flies emerging the next year and infesting other plants. Since leaf miners were an issue last year, it is best to rotate crops away from plants that produce leafy greens thus creating more of a challenge for emerging leaf miners to find greens.
Unfortunately, leaf miner pupae will survive in the soil throughout the winter, so they will likely be present again this year. It will be important to regularly check young plants this spring for leaf damage. If you notice leaf damage, it is best to remove the leaves to help disrupt the leaf miner life cycle.
Hi Jill,
Sorry to hear about your sister’s issues with leaf miners last year. When leaf miners are present in a growing season, after harvest it is a good idea to till the soil in an attempt to destroy pupae and reduce the chances of adult flies emerging the next year and infesting other plants. Since leaf miners were an issue last year, it is best to rotate crops away from plants that produce leafy greens thus creating more of a challenge for emerging leaf miners to find greens.
Unfortunately, leaf miner pupae will survive in the soil throughout the winter, so they will likely be present again this year. It will be important to regularly check young plants this spring for leaf damage. If you notice leaf damage, it is best to remove the leaves to help disrupt the leaf miner life cycle.
Hope this helps!