The short answer is no, they're not out this time of year anyways. That damage you're looking at is from last spring or fall. There isn't much you can do except use spinosad which is an organic spray used to control pests or imadocloprid which is a systemic chemical that many are against here on the forum (that's for a different discussion). Your leaves are fine and still function properly they're just kind of ugly from the damage. So back to the leaf miners, they usually start showing up late spring and lay their eggs and again in early fall when it starts to cool off. Each citrus growing region is different for the timing when leaf miners start showing up, you just have to watch for them and treat accordingly. Once you have the timing down, you'll know for next year when to spray with spinosad. You can also do a search for leaf miner here on the citrus forum, there is TONS of good info here from the past and it all still applies.

Evan

evdesert is right that spinosad is the go to for this. I thought I recently read on a Neem Oil bottle that it controls miner as well but I can't find it on the label now.

Thanks guys so much!

Good info Evan. I have not encountered leaf miners yet. I started using spinosad about 2 years back on all my plants indoors and outdoors in spring as a preventive application. Sounds like I should do one in fall too. Now if I can only figure out something effective against cucumber beetles.

Thanks!

With CLM it is a matter of prevention, not cure. Once the tiny larvae hatch they burrow inside and around the inside of the leaf; so surface applications don't get them. A systemic minimizes the damage and controls the populations. You can also simply smash the larva when you see it start to burrow inside the leaf.

Systemics are not for me. I have no desire to eat citrus that has been treated with them. Here in Calif. all citrus sold at nurseries is now required to be treated systemically for the citrus greening carrying(maybe?) bug. If you read up on it, you'll see that imidacloprid can be found in flowers, fruit, pollen, and nectar two years after application. There was one plant (I forget which kind) where it was detected 6 years later. It's toxic to bees and pollinating insects, and who know...humans too?

I've spent many hours, usually at night, turning over small young citrus leaves looking for the mines and the shiny surface that create, and carefully squeezing the larva. It takes a light touch since the leave are usually very young and delicate, but it's doable and kind of satisfying. Especially if you only have one tree.

Season55, the time to start looking for them is springtime when your tree is flushing. They usually only lay the eggs on leaves that aren't hardened. I'm not sure how long it takes a new citrus leaf to harden, but I'm guessing around 3 weeks. I find it's easier to spot the beginning tunnels at night with a flashlight, but that's just me. The moths tend to lay on the underside of the young leaves, near the center vein, often near the base of the leaf. The larva will mine the leaf for some time, I believe it's weeks, and end up at the edge of the leaf. It goes through a number of instar stages(3) then a pupa stage where it rolls the edge of the leaf over itself for protection. So if you spot a young leaf with it's edge rolled over, that's your last change to squish the CLM.

I also tested the ISCAlure citrus leaf miner traps which are now available on Amazon at what seems to be a reasonable price. I'll be ordering a set next spring around May when the moths come out of hiding. My testing time was inconclusive, the traps do catch some of the males but they aren't considered a cure-all. But I think if you get out early with the traps, while the infestation is small or just before it is starting, along with something like Neem oil or Ultrafine oil, you might be able to stop them, if you don't have too many trees to worry about They don't attack every citrus tree I have, and most of mine are smallish and in containers.

Thank you!