On Aug 10, 7:55 am, Pat Kiewicz wrote:
said:



Hello,
Something is eating away at my leeks. Small larvae type grub or worms
2 - 5 mm in size are found well down between the base of the leaves.
They leave behind a trail of mushy green debris. I think that they are
probably onion maggots. Is this possible, and is there anyway of
getting rid of them? I really like my leek and potato soup so any help
or advice is very appreciated.

In my experience, onion maggots are a big threat in the spring to the
underground part of onions, shallots, and leeks. They are white and
look exactly like any other maggot; they have no legs and no obvious
head, unlike a grub or caterpillar. Onion maggots are typically an
early spring threat. The usual first symptom is wilting of the plant,
followed by yellowing.

There is an emerging pest ofleeks and onions that *does* feed on the tops,
the leek moth caterpillar.

Canada:http://www.pestalert.org/Detail.CFM?recordID=25

England (scroll down):http://www.saundersallotment.co.uk/T...age%20(5).html

I don't know that Bt would be effective against them, as they larvae bore
into the leaves, which would put them quickly out of reach of any surface
applications.

I don't look forward to them ever reaching Plymouth, MI.
--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

After enlightenment, the laundry.

Hello Pat,
I think you may be right, the evidence I see is certainly described in
the Leek Moth article :-(.
I can't feel it possible though to remove the larvae manually, I've
been using soapy water in the hope that it will control, or
exterminate them. They seemed to have left the plants, then all of a
sudden they are back.

This is not a good year for my garden, Leek Moths and Potato Blight,
I've never had problems like this before. I didn't even figure out
that it was Blight until a few days ago so now I have to deal with
that as well.

Thanks again to everyone for the help

John - Ottawa - Zone 5