| Home > Pest management > spotted tentiform leafminer |
Spotted tentiform leafminer (STLM) has three generations a year in Michigan. First generation adults emerge around bud break (tight cluster in northwest MI) to lay eggs on the undersides of leaves. First egg hatch occurs 2 to 3 weeks later.
Pheromone traps can be used to determine first moth emergence. Second generation adults emerge mid-June; third generation adults in August.
Larvae feed on foliage with each larval mine disrupting 4 to 5 percent of leaf area. Fruit quality, size, retention, and set can be affected if enough area is lost to mining. |
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| The first 3 larval instars are sap feeders,
and are white to pale green, legless, wedge-shaped, and deeply segmented (about 1.5 mm). |
The fourth and fifth larval instars are tissue feeders, and are more cylindrical, have legs and a typical caterpillar head capsule (about 5 mm; white to pale green). |
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| Adult moths are small (3 mm long) with distinctive gold, black and white wing patterns |
STLM eggs are attached to the underside of a leaf with a flattened surface. The exposed surface is a yellowish oval dome. |
Leafminer mines in apple. |
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- For more monitoring information and evaluation of available pesticides:
Michigan Fruit Management Guide
- A Practical Guide to Scouting Apple Orchards – a DVD showing how to scout apple orchards.
- MSU Diagnostic Services for assistance in pest identification.
- MSU Fruit Crop Advisory Team Alert newsletters for current pest/crop conditions.
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| This information was developed from A Pocket Guide for IPM Scouting in Michigan Apples by David Epstein, Larry J. Gut and George W. Sundin. Purchase this in a pocket-sized guide for reference in the orchard from MSU Extension (publication E-2720). |
