Adult Stage Damage
These pests cause a variety of damage, including pale blotches and tunnels on plant leaves as the larvae feed. Heavy leaf miner infestations can sometimes cause leaves to brown and fall before the end of summer. However, the damage is cosmetic and does not cause serious injury to most plants. Leaf miners cannot bite or harm humans.
Larval Stage Damage
Larval damage normally has little or no effect on plant growth and almost never kills a plant, unless the plant is in the seedling stage of growth. However, extremely large populations of leaf miners may slow plant growth and cause infested leaves to drop before the fall season.