Citrus Leaf Miners, ugh!

So, within the past month or two, there has been a new pest on our job sites;  Citrus Leaf Miners.  Every site we maintain, where there are Citrus trees, there are CLM.  We never thought it would be so prevalent, but they're everywhere.  CLM is a very small, light colored moth that arrived in southern California from Mexico in 2000.  This is what UCD has to say about them.  

Adult citrus leafminers are tiny moths about 2 mm long (less than 0.12 inch) with a wingspan of about 4 mm (or about 0.25 inch). They have silvery and white iridescent fore wings with brown and white markings and a distinct black spot on each wing tip. Moths are most active from dusk to early morning and spend the day resting on the undersides of leaves, but are rarely observed. Soon after emerging from the pupal case, the female emits a sex pheromone that attracts males. Females lay eggs singly on the underside of leaves. Newly emerged leaflets (flush), particularly along the mid vein, are the preferred ovi-position site.
Eggs hatch about 4-5 days after being laid and newly hatched larvae begin feeding immediately in shallow, meandering mines in the leaves. As a larva increases in size, the mine becomes more visible and larval excrement forms a thin, central frass trail within the mine. Larvae molt 4 times over a 1 to 3 week period. Mature larvae pupate within the mine, rolling the edge of the leaf and protecting the pupa with silk. The entire life cycle of the insect takes 2 to 7 weeks to complete, depending on temperature and weather conditions. The activities of citrus leafminer vary somewhat with location in the state because of differences in climatic conditions and flushing of citrus trees. In general, citrus leafminer is active from mid-summer through fall and early winter.

What I have noticed is they give the citrus tree leaves an almost metallic look.  The small tunnels that the moths create, look like scribbles all over the leaves.  The citrus leafminer damages citrus by mining the underside of young citrus leaves; the fruit is rarely mined. Leaf mining results in leaf deformation, partial leaf chlorosis, necrosis, and some leaf drop, which ultimately results in a reduction in the tree’s photosynthetic capacity. Additionally, the mines provide an entry point for a number of plant pathogens including citrus canker.  Citrus leafminers are attracted to new growth on trees. To help reduce the effect of infestation, do not prune live branches more than once or twice a year.  Do not prune leaves that have been damaged because undamaged areas of the leaves continue to produce food for the tree. Citrus Miners are not able to mine leaves once they are hardened. Do not apply nitrogen fertilizer at times of the year when leafminer populations are high, as flush growth will be severely damaged.

Most people say they do not cause any problem with fruit production, especially on mature trees, and to leave them alone.  I find this hard to do.  I have read and plan to implement this treatment;  

A combination of Neem oil and Spinosad.   Since you are only supposed to use Spinosad no more than 6 times per year.  My plan is to alternate spraying, at 1 week intervals, for 3 sprayings of each in the Spring and then again in the Fall.  I will spray in the evenings because although Spinosad is considered "organic", it is not completely safe for bees, or praying mantis.  It was discovered by as doctor vacationing in the Carribean, who toured an old rum factory and took samples of the rum soaked dirt underneath.  What he found was fermented bacteria that will over stimulate certain pests causing their death. 

I will keep you updated with the outcome.