larvae on Azalea ID help

[JudyB]

I have never seen this larvae before, but had a bunch of them on my Kurume Azalea. Can anyone here ID this? I've looked to no avail thus far. Non segmented, brown head, white body, wrap and cocoon in leaves. Very small 1/16" to 1/8". The second one looks like it was further along.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

No idea. Just make sure it isn't azalea leaf-miner.

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/shrubs/azalea_leafminer.htm

 

[Cadillactaste]

Oh no...not your specimen azalea!?! Though not cool to find on any given day. Keep us posted.

 

[JudyB]

No idea. Just make sure it isn't azalea leaf-miner.

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/shrubs/azalea_leafminer.htm

It could be, though I don't see any legs at all on these. I picked off every single one and squished them, also did a soap spray, and a systemic. Soap spray may not be very effective as they are enclosed in the leaves. But the systemic seemed to be working as I'd applied it a couple weeks ago (before I saw these) and a lot of them were dead when I started to see them. I will be vigilant. They only seem to be on the Kurume, not the Kozan.

 

[Cadillactaste]

It could be, though I don't see any legs at all on these. I picked off every single one and squished them, also did a soap spray, and a systemic. Soap spray may not be very effective as they are enclosed in the leaves. But the systemic seemed to be working as I'd applied it a couple weeks ago (before I saw these) and a lot of them were dead when I started to see them. I will be vigilant. They only seem to be on the Kurume, not the Kozan.

Systemic...what is that Judy...interested in an option to add here.

 

[GrimLore]

I would simply call those Malathion food and treat accordingly - @Mellow Mullet may have an ID but I do not recall conversation with him involving larvae. Isolate, treat, observe - the routine I dislike but must sometimes follow.

Grimmy

 

[just.wing.it]

I had one of those on my azalea too!

 

[JudyB]

I use granulated Bayer Tree and Shrub protect and feed. It's a systemic insecticide, and also a fungicide. It's not bee friendly, but I have so many bee plantings and flowering trees in my landscape that I have never seen them where I keep the bonsai.

 

[Lazylightningny]

In your third photo, you can see clearly that it's the pupa stage of some sort of winged insect. Squish them all before they emerge and spray well!

 

[JudyB]

Squish them all

Indeed, I went over it with a fine toothed comb, there are none left. Took most of a whole day, but it's a big tree.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

This looks like it:

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/shrubs/azalea_leafminer.htm

 

[Cadillactaste]

Squishing them...?... I think tweezers plucking them off into napkins and wrapping then burning. All I can envision is...lots of big guts. They look larger than aphids. Which I can just barely get the job done. Squishing.

 

[JudyB]

This looks like it:

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/shrubs/azalea_leafminer.htm

I guess the ones I found were too young to be segmented. That's why I didn't think they were those. But they must gain segments and legs as they mature. Hope I got em all! Thanks for the replies.