Boxwood Leafminer Treatment

Boxwood Leafminer is the most destructive insect pest of boxwood. The adult insect is a small mosquito-like fly. The adult insect does little to no damage to the plant. The larvae, though, are another story. The adult females lay eggs on the boxwood leaf surface. These eggs hatch and the larvae will start feeding typically from June through early fall. The larvae spend their winters inside the leaf (between the upper and lower leaf surface). The larvae pupate (changes form) in April and the adult Leafminer emerges in early to mid May to start the cycle over again.
For more info on Boxwood Leafminer, visit www.wasconurse...
Wasco Nursery & Garden Center
41W781 Route 64, Saint Charles, IL
www.wasconursery.com
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630.584.4424
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[@jeansandhoodiegardengal2975]

Thank you!!!!! We recently purchased a home and I totally thought we had boxwoods with “blight”…..
SO GLAD YOUR VIDEO CAME ACROSS MY FEED!!!!
Excellent description and explanation of this.

[@maynardcat]

Don't believe this is my problem, all of a sudden a large section of a large boxwood died this August, the rest is still green, I see no insects.

[@WascoNursery]

Thanks for watching. If a section died "all at once" but the rest of the plant looks fairly normal, it is possible that you have a disease called Volutella: plantpathology.ca.uky.edu/files/ppfs-or-w-26.pdf

[@ggustin]

Thank you for this video. Excellent information to have

[@WascoNursery]

Our pleasure!

[@spythree]

Thank you so very much!!!

[@cg741graf5]

It would be great if the camera could have zoomed in.

[@terry7893]

The 10 minute video on how to treat leafminer.

[@carriecraiger3929]

My boxwoods have this bad. We can hear the larvae crunching, that’s how bad. If you peel open the leaves you find the little orange larvae, it’s so gross. I’ve tried different things and still figuring it out.

[@WascoNursery]

Yes, that is boxwood leafminer. Here is our handout / guide for treatment: www.wasconursery.com/boxwood-leafminer/

[@AudiRish]

When is the plant taken over beyond repair? We thought this was blight for over a year. The eggs have already been laid: they are about half brown

[@WascoNursery]

Great question - I have seen boxwood rebound from having 25% of their foliage cut off.
If there are no green leaves left, after cutting off all of the infested branches, than you will most likely need to replace the plants.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.

[@Ptiger98]

Thanks for this video. I bought some bonide tree and shrub that needs to be mixed with water for the drench. My question is, how do i determine how much to use. There is a guideline based on trunk circumference however the boxwood are a shrub and don't really have a single trunk. Do I mix a certain about based on height of the boxwood? if so how much?

[@WascoNursery]

Sorry for the late response - I must have missed this comment. If you are drenching, you can apply 1oz / gallon of water around the base of the tree. If you are spraying it directly on the leaves, you can use 1.5oz / gallon of water. Either method works, the foliar application (spraying on the leaves) tends to be quicker than the drench.

[@michmadden]

Thank you! If I want to use an insecticide that goes straight into the roots, (and not spray) would this work? what time of year should use this? mid/late summer? which one (for roots) would you recommend? how many applications would I need to do? thx.

[@WascoNursery]

Yes:
"Annual tree / shrub drench" in early June.
www.wasconursery.com/boxwood-leafminer/

[@jenniferyezik7018]

Hi I live in MA and can’t find the product you recommended at Home Depot, Lowe’s or Walmart. Is there another brand that does the same thing?

[@WascoNursery]

Hello, unfortunately the product used to treat leafminer is banned in MA. If there are any systemic insecticides at stores near you, those would probably work as well. The key word to look for, with any brand, is "systemic".

[@marylloydparks2620]

What is the chemical in the spray you showed?

[@WascoNursery]

Any systemic insecticide can work. The two shown in this video were Bonide's Systemic Insect Control (Acephate) and Bonide's Systemic Insect Spray (Imidacloprid).

[@snowyouknow2]

How long does the systemic stay in the boxwood? Will it be gone by the time it flowers the following spring if I spray in June/July? Just worried about my bees!

[@WascoNursery]

The systemic sprays only last a few weeks. Systemic soil drench can last up to a year.