Damn it but my young Hmong red cucumbers have leaf miner damage already and they have only begun to take off. What is the quickest and best way to knock this down? Screw organic, at this rate my plants will all be infected. All I have for now is the organic pesticide/fungicide/ herbicide combos using lecithin and some natural soap. I'll hose it with malathion if I have to.
Bon apatite
Apatite only has a Mohs Scale hardness of 5. I think I'd want something harder.
As for the leaf miners, I'd go right to the propane torch. Nuke 'em ;O), or go for the Sevin 80 WSP, and keep the plant in the house, next to your bed, where you can watch it.
Although not approved for use on edible crops, I would use Imidacloprid, available as Bayer's Advanced Tree and Shrub Insect Control. You mix it with water and use it as a soil drench. Control might take as long as 3 weeks.
Unlike many other systemics, tests with Imidacloprid show little or no toxicity for mammals and birds.
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Cultural Control
Prune off and destroy infested branches. Keep plants healthy (properly irrigated and fertilized) so they can tolerate and outgrow the damage.
Biological Control
Populations are generally prevented from reaching truly damaging levels by a number of parasitic wasps that attack leafminers in Florida. Wasp larvae develop on or in the leafminer larva or pupa, and pupation occurs in or near host remains. In some species, the wasp stings the host, injects a paralyzing venom, lays an egg and its larva develops externally. The host ceases to feed and the parasitoid egg or larva is visible through the leaf epidermis. Parasitoid larvae developing internally are usually solitary, and after several days of development may be seen inside their leafminer host by using a hand lens against strong light.
Chemical Control
Leafminers are difficult to control because they are protected by the leaf tissue. The best time to manage leafminers is when larvae first hatch inside the leaves and begin to feed, but the damage may be inconspicuous. Treatment at this time also minimizes plant damage. But, if many large or long mines are seen, the leafminer may have completed its development, and control is not useful.
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