Carrot fly
Carrots get rusty brown tunnels with thin, creamy-white maggots; the foliage turns reddish or yellow and the plant grows poorly. Parsnips, celery and parsley can also be affected.
The carrot fly lays its eggs near the top of the root and finds the plants by scent, especially when you thin them.
What can you do?
- Cover carrots with fine insect mesh (1 mm mesh at most) straight after sowing, well secured at the edges.
- Sow thinly so you don’t need to thin; if you do, thin in the evening and water afterwards.
- Lift affected carrots as early as possible and don’t leave carrot remains in the ground.
Prevention
Rotate every year, choose less susceptible varieties and sow only from late May or early June, after the fly’s first generation.
When to watch out: May–September