What's eating my franklin's gem boxwood?

Franklin's Gem Boxwood is most seriously threatened by boxwood leafminer, whose larvae tunnel inside leaves causing blistered, discolored foliage. Boxwood mites and psyllids also cause stippling and cupped leaves. In the UK and increasingly the US, box tree moth caterpillars are a devastating newer threat stripping plants bare.

Blistered, yellow-orange blotches on leaves; larvae visible inside leaf tissue when held to light Apply systemic insecticide (imidacloprid) as a soil drench in early spring before adults emerge; prune and destroy infested foliage in autumn

Fine stippling and silvery, dull leaf surface; mites visible with a hand lens on leaf undersides Knock mites off with a strong water jet; apply horticultural oil or insecticidal soap in spring; avoid drought stress

Webbing inside the plant, rapid defoliation, greenish frass; can kill plants if unchecked Inspect regularly; hand-pick caterpillars; apply Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) spray; use pheromone traps to monitor adult moths

Cupped, stunted terminal leaves in spring; sticky honeydew; waxy white nymphs inside cupped growth Prune out cupped shoot tips in late spring; apply insecticidal soap or neem oil when nymphs are active in early spring