What is happening to the leaves on my plants? (Photos)

[Jason Ornoff]

This is happening to just about everything in my garden. What is it? What's the cause? What's the solution? From left to right below are my eggplant, tomato seedling, and zucchini seedlings...

Thanks in advance for any and all help and advice!

-Jason

 

[Beth_B]

Leaf miners.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaf_miner

But they probably won't really affect the overall health of your plants and will cease when the larvae mature. I wouldn't use an insecticide; check undersides of the leaves and wipe off any batches of eggs you see by hand.

 

[Kansas Terri]

Yep. Leaf miners. I always thought they were kind of pretty, with the lacy traceries!

I don't like to see them because they seem to prefer the plants that have edible leaves, and I will not eat affected leaves, but they were never so bad that they worried me. They ARE pests, and too many would injure the plant, but I never had more than half a dozen on a plant, and so I mostly ignore them.

 

[Jason Ornoff]

Thanks! Is there a guideline as to how many of the leaves can have that appearance before it becomes detrimental to the plant?

 

[Kansas Terri]

Thanks! Is there a guideline as to how many of the leaves can have that appearance before it becomes detrimental to the plant?

Probably, but I haven't got a clue!

The leaves take the water and dissolved nutrients from the soil and combine them in the leaves with the energy from the sun to create the food that the plant uses. The more leaves, the better the plant is nourished. If *ANY* insect damages too many leaves, the food to the plant is reduced and the plant is less vigorous.

 

[Jason Ornoff]

So even though there's something happening here to the leaves, this isn't a situation where I'd want to clip off the effected leaves since it's not an immediate threat to the plant (and not something that will multiply out of control).

 

[Beth_B]

Generally speaking no, you don't need to start lopping leaves. Most leaf miner insects won't do much damage. Check the undersides of leaves and use a mild detergent mix and/or your fingers to dislodge eggs...bugs are smart and lay eggs under leaves for protection, But we can be smarter.

 

[Kansas Terri]

I confess it never occurred to me to look for and squish eggs! LOL!

I stopped clipping affected leaves a long time ago and my plants all stayed healthy. Leaf miners are very small and a few of them will not eat much. I destroy cabbage butterfly worms because they are big and they eventually eat a LOT, but I ignore having a few leaf miners, other than that I prefer not to eat a leaf with a bug in it. The last leaf picture has rather a lot of leaf miners, but even so all of your plants look good and healthy so the leaves are doing a good job of nourishing the plants,

Leaf miners are tiny and they stay tiny amount! So your infestation is not severe enough to hurt the plants!