What is this fly?

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4xthefun Corpus Christi, TX(Zone 9a) Apr 24, 2005

I am having terrible problems with leaf miners. Now I have noticed these little flies all around the garden and on leaves. Are they the grown up leaf miners? This is a picture of them on my green beans.

Laura

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Post #1423788
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Night_Bloom Griffin, GA(Zone 8a) May 01, 2005

It is possible that they are, because some leaf miners are flies - hollyleaf miners and boxwood leafminers for example are flies - but I can't see the flies close enough to say for sure. If you start to see leafminer damage and suspect flies, imidicloprid (such as Bayer Advanced) is a systemic material that should work without harming non-plant chomping/sucking insects. However, if your leaf miners are of the moth variety, the Bayer Advanced won't work, because imidicloprid doesn't work on Lepidoptera.

If you take some of your leaf miner damaged leaves to your local extension agent - make sure to note the host - they might be able to tell you whether your miners are of the fly or caterpillar variety.

In general, moth leafminers (and beetle leafminers too) usually attack only trees and bushes. Anything mining in your veggies is probably a fly leafminer, so the imidicloprid should work. It will be more effective than trying to kill the flies themselves, i would think, because it will get the vulnerable larva stage as it is trying to feed on the plants. Trying to get adult flies would be hit or miss - and if these flies aren't the leafminers, you might be hitting helpful flies (some flies, such as Tachinidae, soldier flies, and others, are predators or parasites or both.)

Two possible suspects are - Spinach leafminer (genus Pegomya) and Vegetable (aka Serpentine) leafminer (genus Liriomyza). The last one does attack beans, though the fly more resembles a small fruit fly than the fly you have pictured. Your fly looks more like the Spinach leafminer, though that isn't supposed to attack beans. Try googling the two types of leafminers and see if either adult fly resembles yours (sometimes chosing the "image" option makes it easier for identification when googling)

Good luck!

Post #1439673
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Drew_N_Corinn Pleasant Grove, UT(Zone 6b) May 18, 2005

I have leafminers in my Brightlights chard.... I have been picking and destroying the leaves that are affected...I am very interested in a systemic but am worried about eating the stuff with a systemic in it. I put some Pyrola from Gardens alive on it last night in hopes that that would help. I dunno if it will. It is right next to my lettuce patch but it seems that there is no problem as of yet in the lettuce, perhaps it only likes the thicker leaves (spinach?) Any help would be great!

Drew

Post #1479650
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Night_Bloom Griffin, GA(Zone 8a) May 19, 2005

Oh - good point drew. The imidicloprid systemic may not be labeled for plants that you eat. It may only be labeled for ornamentals. Thank you for bringing that up.

Post #1480617
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