Tiny Maggots

Kikaida · June 19, 2015

Well, I found what was eating my cherry leaves and its spread.
Forgive the picture size but this thing is tiny...I figured it was a bug as the spots rub off so that must be poop.

Not gonna mess around with this, think I'm getting some malathion this weekend and laying waste to these guys...neem has failed and so has spinosad. If you have better suggestions let me know. I'd rather have tomatoes to eat versus losing everything to bugs trying to stay organic as that has thus far failed.

Redbaron · June 19, 2015

Are they on the top or bottom of the leaf?

Kikaida · June 19, 2015

They are on the top...They seem to eat a fine film of chlorophyll and poo a lot. The leaves don't get holes in them, they seem 'shaved'.

Here's a better view of what I thought was a bacterial/fungal issue that I posted before...The black dots rub off and you can see some of them on there too.

Tracydr · June 19, 2015

Not sure what the worm is but damage looks like spider mites. Common to get infestations of mites after using lots of insecticides.

Redbaron · June 20, 2015

DE should do the trick.

Kikaida · June 20, 2015

Nursery basically said spider mites....and read my plants their last rites. Screw that, I'm fighting this and going to win...even if I have to burn my plants to the ground, spider mites will all die.

Tracydr · June 20, 2015

Sulphur works but it will really burn the plants if hot out.

Bipetual · June 20, 2015

Did you try insecticidal soap? Don't know about the grubs but it's a reasonable place to start with spider mites.

Kikaida · June 21, 2015

Thanks all, I'll look into those options today.

June 19, 2015	#2
Redbaron Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 4,488	Are they on the top or bottom of the leaf? __________________ Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture

June 20, 2015	#5
Redbaron Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 4,488	DE should do the trick. __________________ Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture

June 19, 2015	#4
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	Not sure what the worm is but damage looks like spider mites. Common to get infestations of mites after using lots of insecticides.

June 20, 2015	#6
Kikaida Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Valencia, CA Posts: 258	Nursery basically said spider mites....and read my plants their last rites. Screw that, I'm fighting this and going to win...even if I have to burn my plants to the ground, spider mites will all die.

June 20, 2015	#8
Bipetual Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Illinois, zone 5a Posts: 579	Did you try insecticidal soap? Don't know about the grubs but it's a reasonable place to start with spider mites.

June 21, 2015	#9
Kikaida Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Valencia, CA Posts: 258	Thanks all, I'll look into those options today.