- Single leaves drop
- Single leaves wilt
Several leaves found on ground beneath trees. Fallen leaves have stems (petioles) that have been hollowed. Petiole can contain cream colored, wormlike larvae, and or sawdust.
Adults emerge from the soil in late spring to lay single eggs into each leaf stem (petiole). The egg hatches into cream colored, wormlike larva that tunnels through the petiole. After the leaf drops the larva completes its feeding and bores into the ground to enter the transition stage (pupae) in which it spends the winter. These insects have only one generation per year.
This insect seldom if ever causes more than several dozen leaves to drop per day for a period of about a month. This leaf loss does not affect tree health or appearance. No management action is needed. Pesticides are not recommended to control this pest.
Pesticides are neither available nor recommended for managing this pest.
