When planting carrots, it is worth taking steps to protect them from their main pest; the carrot root fly. These small carrot root flies (8mm in length) lay eggs in the soil near carrots, particularly after you weed or thin carrots. Carrot root fly is very damaging to carrots, parsley and parsnips and is generally a real nuisance in the vegetable garden.
About a week after being laid, larvae emerge and begin feeding. First symptoms are a reddening of the carrot leaves, which then begin to wilt. If you lift the carrot root you will see tunnels eaten by the larvae and may see the creamy coloured larvae which are about 1cm in length. Attack on your carrot plants can start as early as April and continue until mid-September.
There are usually two generations of the carrot root flies with eggs first laid in April/May and a second generation laid in July/August. Carrots growing in the ground at these times are vulnerable to attack. More damage is caused by the second generation. Treat carrot root fly organically with SuperNemos. SuperNemos is one of the best natural methods to control carrot root fly. SuperNemos is a biological product containing microscopic beneficial nematodes (found in healthy soil). This organic invention aggressively pursues several different groups of garden pest.
As well as carrot root fly and cabbage root fly, it is effective against wireworms, vine weevils, strawberry root weevils, carrot weevils, chafer grubs, caterpillars, cutworms, leatherjackets, cucumber, tomato and potato beetle larvae, cabbage worm, fungus gnat’s larvae and many more common garden pests with just one application. Simply add the contents of the box to your watering can and water onto the soil surface. The Nematodes will disperse into the soil and attack and kill off soil-borne pests, protecting your carrots, potatoes, cabbage, parsnips, cauliflowers and broccoli.
Remember to apply the treatment through a watering can and spread the liquid evenly over the entire soil surface when the soil temperature is above 10 degrees celcius.
How to Prevent and Treat Root Fly
- Always rotate crops
- Grow plants under an insect proof mesh
- Check regularly for signs of infection
- Use a nematodes treatment such as SuperNemos