Bamboo Leaf Miner Fly

Controlling pests of bamboo

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johnw
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Bamboo Leaf Miner Fly

Post by johnw »

Forumists take note. If you intend to import bamboo from Europe be warned that the bamboo leaf miner which was first noticed in Italy, Switzerland and Czechoslovakia has already made it to Northern Germany as reported by the EBS. The damage was spotted on P. parvfofolia. As no new bamboos were introduced into that garden it is obvious the flies that cause the damage have a great range of flight. If they get to North America we will all have them in short order.

johnw
johnw coastal Nova Scotia
Alan_L
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Re: Bamboo Leaf Miner Fly

Post by Alan_L »

What insect specifically? There are already leaf miners on bamboo in this country. From ABS website:
There are three species of leaf-mining caterpillars found on bamboos in Southeast Asia, where they are a minor pest usually kept under control by the many parasites and predators that normally attack them. An example of one of these is Glyphipterix semiflavana, which mines the leaves of Phyllostachys in China and Japan. It has one generation per year. The adult moths emerge in spring and lay eggs among the newly growing leaves. The eggs hatch, releasing larvae that burrow into the newly formed leaves, where they begin mining out the interior of the leaf, working their way toward the tip, where they exit and then move on to another leaf. By summer the larvae have matured and form pupae where they remain until spring.

In the Southeast we have leaf miners that feed in a similar manner (but continue laying eggs on into early summer) on Arundinaria gigantea and in my garden also feed on the leaves of Chusquea (culeou, gigantea, valdiviensis), Borinda boliana, Fargesia nitida, Phyllostachys heterocycla pubescens, Sasaella masamuneana albostriata, Thamnocalamus (crassinodus, tesselatus), and Yushania (anceps, aff. chungii, maculata, maling). They are minor pests that prefer to feed on the first few large leaves that appear on the end of new shoots and major branches.
Rai Hannover
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Re: Bamboo Leaf Miner Fly

Post by Rai Hannover »

The leaf mining fly which arrived in Europe, is Cerodontha unisetiorbita.

Rai
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Tarzanus
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Re: Bamboo Leaf Miner Fly

Post by Tarzanus »

I have seen the leaf damage on several bamboos, but not that much. I haven't seen any flies that would draw my attention, there are abnormal quantities of flying insects this year due to extremely wet spring and summer (following wet and warm winter) so it's hard to tell. If it loves warmth, I guess they are not feeling good this year around here. :mrgreen:
johnw
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Re: Bamboo Leaf Miner Fly

Post by johnw »

Thanks Rai.

If this leaf miner fly is anything like the elm leafminer fly you only see it on the leaves for a few days, they lay their eggs between the two layers of a leaf and then the hatching eats away, protected from contact sprays within the leaf. One must spray when the flies are about to lay their eggs so getting the timing right is next to impossible. I suspect systemic sprays just after egg laying are difficult to apply to bamboos, especially big ones. Maybe Rai can confirm.

johnw
johnw coastal Nova Scotia
Rai Hannover
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Re: Bamboo Leaf Miner Fly

Post by Rai Hannover »

"Fortunately the fly causes no noteworthy damage. So it will not be necessary to combat the pest. Rai"

By that Rai, do you mean the fly damage is unnoticeable but the subsequent pupa damage is?
johnw
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Re: Bamboo Leaf Miner Fly

Post by johnw »

A friend has been visiting from Victoria, BC andf when she saw my Phyllos said "oh I've got leaf miner on my Phyllostachys nigra, it just started this year." This I find very surprising and I suspect she means bamboo mites but she insisted they were not mites. She said she'll send me a photo when she gets back to BC on the weekend. I have my doubts she has the same pest Rai describes but I'll post a picture of it when received.
johnw coastal Nova Scotia
Rai Hannover
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Re: Bamboo Leaf Miner Fly

Post by Rai Hannover »

John (?) wrote:
"By that Rai, do you mean the fly damage is unnoticeable but the subsequent pupa damage is?"

I mean that normally only few bamboo leaves are affected.
Rai
johnw
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Re: Bamboo Leaf Miner Fly

Post by johnw »

Rai - I would assume one fly lays one eggs affecting one leaf. Since the fly is new to your area I have to ask if the reports from Italy, where presumably the fly populations are higher, they experience widespread damage or just on a few leaves.

johnw
johnw coastal Nova Scotia
Rai Hannover
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Re: Bamboo Leaf Miner Fly

Post by Rai Hannover »

Luciano Süss discovered the mining fly in the year 2000 in Italy. He wrote that the bamboo coped very well with the damage. After the year 2000 he didn't find the fly any more in Italy (personal communication 2014).

Rai

John, did you see my detailed report on the homepage of the EBS?
http://forum.bambus-deutschland.de/kpp/ ... etiorbita/
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