The Tropical Fruit Forum

Citrus => Citrus General Discussion => Topic started by: orangedays on September 02, 2021, 05:27:51 PM

Title: Are these leaf minor eggs?
Post by: orangedays on September 02, 2021, 05:27:51 PM

I often notice these tiny eggs on new citrus shoots. The citrus leaf minor is a nuisance here.
(https://i.postimg.cc/TKcQ6Tgq/Leaf-Minor-eggs.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/TKcQ6Tgq)

Title: Re: Are these leaf minor eggs?
Post by: fruitlovers on September 02, 2021, 06:15:08 PM

Don't think so. We have plenty of leaf miners here, and have never seen eggs like that. Also i believe the leaf miner inserts its larvae directly inside the leaf tissue.

Title: Re: Are these leaf minor eggs?
Post by: Millet on September 02, 2021, 08:15:41 PM

As fruitlovers wrote, not leaf miner eggs.

Title: Re: Are these leaf minor eggs?
Post by: John B on September 02, 2021, 08:52:22 PM

Looks like swallowtail butterfly eggs. The caterpillars are camouflaged to look like bird poop.  Watch out if you grab them! They have yellow They have these hidden yellow horns that spray you with a rancid smell.

Title: Re: Are these leaf minor eggs?
Post by: Laaz on September 03, 2021, 05:29:31 AM

Indeed butterfly eggs, the larvae will destroy your leaves.

Title: Re: Are these leaf minor eggs?
Post by: Yorgos on September 03, 2021, 05:21:40 PM

Giant Swallowtail eggs. While the larvae in great quantity 'might' be a problem, a couple will eat some leaves but not really hurt the tree unless the tree is small.  How big is this poncirus?

Title: Re: Are these leaf minor eggs?
Post by: Yorgos on September 03, 2021, 05:22:51 PM

Leaf minor eggs would be so small you need a microscope to see them.

Title: Re: Are these leaf minor eggs?
Post by: orangedays on September 05, 2021, 07:42:30 PM

Thanks, There are butterflys fluttering around the citrus all day.  The bird dropping caterpillars have had their share of leaves and even some rather large brown weevils attacked the PT leaves this year.  But the leaf minors aggravate me the most. They sneak up on me when ever I fall behind on the neem oil.

Title: Re: Are these leaf minor eggs?
Post by: Yorgos on September 08, 2021, 02:23:51 PM

Yep.  Wasps are effective caterpillar hunters on my citrus.  I wish there was something that targeted CLM in such an efficient manner.

Title: Re: Are these leaf minor eggs?
Post by: EricSC on September 08, 2021, 07:46:57 PM

Do you spray the Neem oil all the summer-fall until cool?
 

Quote from: orangedays on September 05, 2021, 07:42:30 PM

Thanks, There are butterflys fluttering around the citrus all day.  The bird dropping caterpillars have had their share of leaves and even some rather large brown weevils attacked the PT leaves this year.  But the leaf minors aggravate me the most. They sneak up on me when ever I fall behind on the neem oil.

Title: Re: Are these leaf minor eggs?
Post by: orangedays on September 15, 2021, 12:46:41 PM

I do more or less. I plan to spray every week with neem oil and spinosad. But I actually do the much less frequently because of rain or bright sun light or I just don't get to it. When I do the leaf minor is not a problem and it also takes care of scale. I am not sure it works so well for spider mites. It helps but I think they persist in small numbers or else they float in from other plants that don't get sprayed.

Title: Re: Are these leaf minor eggs?
Post by: orangedays on September 15, 2021, 12:50:14 PM

These are definitely butterfly eggs. I caught the butterfly in action and snapped a few photo's. Unfortunately the photo quality is fairly poor but it shows the type of butterfly involved.
(https://i.postimg.cc/3044Vd2q/butterfly2.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/3044Vd2q)

(https://i.postimg.cc/rdfDpSJb/Butterfly1.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/rdfDpSJb)