Birch Skeletonizer – Bucculatrix canadensisella

Birch Skeletonizer   Scientific Name:  Bucculatrix canadensisella Common Name:  Birch skeletonizer Appearance:  Birch skeletonizer has tinted leaves with a wingspan of approximately 8.5 mm. While the forewing is white at the bottom and dark brown at the top, the hindwings are entirely grey in colour. Its larva has a light, almost transparent colour. It is caterpillar-like without any legs. Host Plants or Food: Most birch skeletonizers feed on white birch trees; however, they can also live off other species of birch plants. Territory: Throughout North America Mode of Damage:  The early larval instar is an exclusive leaf miner and rolls the leaves of the birch tree and feeds in it for shelter. As it grows, it changes its feeding habits to leaf chewing and skeletonizes the foliage, leaving behind the epidermis. Habits and Life History: Birch skeletonizer solely infests the birch trees, causing leaf drops and browning. The female skeletonizers lay eggs on the leaves, which hatch almost two weeks into an early instar of the larva. It requires warm and wet environmental conditions to hatch properly. The larva mines the leaves with silk threads and forms a cocoon for itself. As it grows, it transforms into a leaf chewer. When the larva is completely grown, it drops into the ground where it pupates during the winter season and appears as adults in June or July. It only produces one generation per year.