Leaf crumpler and Mineola moth

Leaf crumpler and Mineola moth caterpillars create distinctive rolled or tied leaf shelters on stone fruit trees like Prunus cerasifera in late spring and summer. The small caterpillars feed within or beneath their silk-lined shelters, causing localized leaf damage and visible webbing. You notice the crumpled or rolled leaves connected with silk webbing; caterpillars remain hidden within unless you open the shelter.

Remove leaf shelters by hand during early to mid-summer before caterpillars complete development. For landscape trees with light infestations, manual removal is often sufficient and practical. Monitor young trees starting in May for shelter formation. If chemical intervention is needed, spinosad or neem oil applied directly to visible shelters targets caterpillars.