Seasonal development
and life cycle—Leafminers
In warm weather, leafminers may be more active. The life cycle is only 2 weeks long. Eggs are inserted
into leaves and larvae feed between leaf surfaces, creating a "mine." At high population levels,
entire leaves may be covered with mines. Mature larvae leave the mines, dropping to the ground to pupate.
There can be five to ten generations per year. Development continues all year, the population moving from
one host to another as new host plants become available each season.
|
A leafminer larva |
A leafminer pupa |
Leafminer mines |
An adult leafminer |
|
