Locust Leafminer: Appearance, Territory, Damage and Life Cycle

Latin Name: Odontota Dorsalis

Appearance: The locust leaf miner, Odontota dorsalis, belongs to the Chrysomelidae family of leaf beetles. It is a North American native. Odontota dorsalis is a small, elongate, flat beetle that is around 14 inches in length. The wing covers are orange with a black or brown line running down the center, while the head is black. Each wing cover has three long ridges and is deeply pitted. When completely formed, larvae are pale, flat, and somewhat longer than adults.

Hosts Plants: Although black locust is favored, apple, birch, beech, cherry, elm, hawthorn, and oak are all susceptible.

Territory: North America

Damage Insect Cause: The overwintering flat, red, and black adult beetles emerge on leaves in May, followed by the following generation in July. Larval feeding causes blotch mines to form, which eventually consolidate and cause the leaves to become brown. Most trees can withstand repeated infestations with just modest consequences. Reduced aesthetic values, on the other hand, are an issue. Leafminer populations can be significantly reduced by parasites and predators.

Life History and Habits: Locust leafminers reproduce once or twice a year. Overwinter as beetles in bark fissures and leaf litter, locust leafminers. They emerge in the spring about the time the leaves begin to unfurl and eat on the lower leaf surfaces, where they also lay eggs. The eggs are bonded together by faeces and overlap like shingles in groups of three to five. When the small young larvae hatch, they eat inside that leaflet. The larvae eventually leave to mine other leaflets. Before it grows, a larva may mine numerous leaflets. In July, larvae pupate within the transparent mines. Every year, there are two generations. The locust leafminer is attacked by a variety of parasites and predators, which may explain why it cannot sustain huge populations in one location for long.