Where do larvae of the boxwood leafminer overwinter?

Where do larvae of the boxwood leafminer overwinter?

• A. Inside leaf blisters.
• B. In the soil near the plant base.
• C. In the bark crevices of stems.
• D. In the leaf mines during summer.

Answer: (A)

Larvae overwinter inside leaf blisters on the boxwood leaves. These blisters form from the larvae’s earlier feeding, and the larvae stay protected within the leaf tissue through winter. In spring they resume feeding, complete development, and emerge as adults to start a new cycle. This fits the leaf-mining nature of the pest, keeping the overwintering stage in the leaf tissue rather than in soil or bark, and not in the mines observed during the active summer feeding.

Larvae overwinter inside leaf blisters on the boxwood leaves. These blisters form from the larvae’s earlier feeding, and the larvae stay protected within the leaf tissue through winter. In spring they resume feeding, complete development, and emerge as adults to start a new cycle. This fits the leaf-mining nature of the pest, keeping the overwintering stage in the leaf tissue rather than in soil or bark, and not in the mines observed during the active summer feeding.