Celery Leaftier – Greenhouse Leaftier – Udea rubigalis

Celery Leaftier   Scientific Name:  Udea rubigalis Common Name:  Celery leaftier, greenhouse leaftier Appearance:  Celery leaftier is a light brown or tan moth with a wavy pattern throughout the wings. It has a total wingspan f 19 mm with black spots and hairy fringes on the lower margin. It has compound eyes with a protruding mouthpiece on the head. Both the body and wings are arranged to form a triangle. The larva is pale green with a dark green and white band on both sides. Host Plants or Food: Celery leaftier is a herbivorous insect and mainly feeds on celery. However, the larva may also eat other greenhouse plants such as azalea, violet, chrysanthemum, begonia, carnation, beet, beans, and spinach. Territory: Throughout North America, Eastern USA, Western USA Mode of Damage:  They are leaf chewers as well as leaf miners. The larva forms a web around the leaves to fold them in a protective shield before feeding on them. Heavy infestation may lead to the complete skeletonizing of the plants. Habits and Life History: Celery leaftier is found on several greenhouse plants, with a strong tendency to defoliate the entire yield. The female is capable of laying 130 eggs. They are layed on the underside of the leaves in groups of 10. It takes the larva approximately nine days to hatch out of the eggs, after which they feed on the leaves for pupation. In 3 to 4 weeks, the larva gets ready for pupation, usually in folded leaves. The whole lifecycle takes six weeks to complete. There can be 4 to 9 generations per year.