Onion maggot

Pests Guide

Signs of the Pest

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Stunted or wilting seedlings

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Plant will commonly break at soil line if an attempt is made to pull it up; If infestation occurs when plants are bulbing, bulbs will be deformed and susceptable to storage rots after harvest;

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Adult insect is a greyish fly which lays white, elongate eggs around the base of the plant; the larvae that emerge from the eggs are tiny and white and bore into the bulbs; mature larvae are about 1 cm (0.4 in) long with feeding hooks

Solutions to the Pest

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Management of onion maggots is heavily reliant on good sanitation

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All chive bulbs should be removed at the end of the season as maggots will die without a food source

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Home gardeners should try to remove any volunteer wild onion and chive plants as these can act as an infection source

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Floating row covers may provide protection by preventing females from laying eggs around the plants