An apple leaf-mining moth adult has silvery-white wings with brownish pointed apices. They are small in size, their wingspan only amounts to 9mm. They are slender and skinny in appearance. These moths are nocturnal and their presence can sometimes be detected by torchlight or moth traps. Caterpillars are green with brown heads and legs, they are about 5mm in length. A typical pupa of the apple leaf-mining moth can appear green to grey. Eggs are oblong and matte white. Eggs will be laid by a female beneath the leaves of the host plant. These may be too small to see with the naked eye.

The mines created by larvae are substantially long and gradually widen. Mines sometimes cross the vein but will never move onto another leaf. Mines can cause leaves to discolour, dry and fall off. Leaves can sometimes appear to have brown blobs on them. These are moth pupae hanging from the underside of leaves.

Crepuscular

Despite the harm a mining insect can cause to leaves of the host tree, tree health is almost always sustained, rarely impacting crop yield.

There are currently no chemical treatments available for gardeners in the UK.