Boxwood Leafminer

Bad Looking Boxwoods

Boxwood leafminer damage is already becoming apparent. However, the symptoms are highly variable and may be mistaken for winter injury, a “leaf blotch” disease, or something else. Birds seeking meat morsels in the form of leafminer larvae can produce an entirely different type of strange-looking damage.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Boxwood Leafminer 2020 Prediction

Boxwood leafminer activity is already very evident on their namesake host in southwest Ohio. This does not bode well for 2020. As the midge fly leaf mining activity further delaminates the upper and lower leaf surfaces, symptoms may become apparent by the end of this season. They will certainly intensify next spring.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Boxwood Leafminer Flies Fly

Participants in this week's Greater Cincinnati BYGLive! Diagnostic Walk-About were treated to an enormous swarm of boxwood leafminer adult flies flitting around their namesake host. The flies are a type of wood midge and belong to the same family (Cecidomyiidae) as gall midges.
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Joe Boggs

Be Alert for Boxwood Leafminer

Boxwoods with yellow to brown leaves are common this spring in a number of locations in Ohio. Some of the leaf browning is due to winter injury; some was caused by salt damage. However, a close examination may also reveal the telltale blister-like leaf symptoms caused by the boxwood leafminer.
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Joe Boggs

Boxwoods Go Snap, Crackle, and Pop!

I've already posted a BYGL Alert on Boxwood Leafminer this season that described its life-cycle, detection, and management. However, I only briefly described one of the most notable side effects associated with this non-native midge fly: odd rustling or popping sounds radiating from heavily infested boxwoods.
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Curtis E. Young