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.

Thanks,
John

In article
,
" wrote:

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.

Thanks,
John

Do you plant your leeks in the same area? If so a rotation may be in
order. Has the weather been damp ?

Where do you live in general terms?

Bill taking a break from cleaning a septic trap.

--
Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA

On Aug 9, 8:31 am, Bill wrote:
In article
,

" wrote:
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.

Thanks,
John

Do you plant your leeks in the same area? If so a rotation may be in
order. Has the weather been damp ?

Where do you live in general terms?

Bill taking a break from cleaning a septic trap.

--
Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA

Hi,
Yes, planted in same area as last year, but that is only the 2nd time
in this area.
Weather here has been very damp, rain everyday in varying amounts.
I live Eastern Ontario Canada. Not sure what the zone is,.

John

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.

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

In article
,
" wrote:

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

Perhaps useful .

³Summary
The most successful and economic control of the seedcorn maggot would be
a management system based on the following cultural practices:
1. Ground fallow after previous crop for 6-8 weeks to give a relatively
dry layer 3-5 inches deep. This helps prevent moist soil from being
thrown up in the seed row at planting, which could attract flies from
adjacent fields.

2. Good soil tilth to help prevent cracks and crevices in the seed row
at planting. This prevents egg laying flies from having direct access to
the newly planted seeds.

3. Planting shallow and when soil temperatures and moisture are adequate
for rapid seed germination and plant emergence.

4. Covering over the seed row directly behind the planter by means of
chains and/or rolling; the latter being especially important where
shallow (1-2") planting is desired.

http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/filelibrary/2028/23063.pdf

Bill

--
Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA

Diatomaceous Earth will solve your problems very easily, perhaps not this
year but in all the years to come that you plant any type of root crop. I
had a terrible problem with wormy things in my onion crops and also in my
root crops, especially carrot and radish. I'd take a scoop of D.E. run a
good line of it down the row where I was planting the crop (onions, leeks,
radishes, carrots, turnips, etc.) that could be plagued by wormy things, mix
it in a bit and then plant my seeds. When the seeds had come up to a point
where I would weed or hoe on either side of the row I'd lay down another
line of D.E. on either side of the row and mix it down into the soil. This
was all it took for the entire growing season to eliminate the nasties. I
also ringed my pepper plants with it, worked it into the soil a bit and no
more cut worms. Works great! I never lost another veggie to grubs or worms
in the soil. Problem solved in a very easy, chemical free way. To sprinkle
it over the tops of my newly forming cauliflower heads and down onto
anything (like leeks) that may have eggs laid from above I put some D.E. in
an old salt shaker and tapped it when holding it over the plant. The only
caution is to wear a mask so you don't breathe the dust. I just used a
bandana "hold-up style. If you get much on your hands you might find that it
can cause very dry skin. I never wore gloves but it might be a problem if
you have a tendency toward sensitive, dry skin. I was selective in where I
spread D.E., I didn't blanket the entire garden with it, just the possible
trouble spots, since it will nail the good guys as well as the bad.

Nutritionally it's also a plus in veggie gardens. I read some years ago
where Washington State University did a study of vegetables, especially
green leafy crops, grown in soil with the addition of D.E. had a higher
calcium content than those grown without D.E. in the soil. Cook up those
greens. A nice serving of greens and a good gulp of pot likker will supply
you with more readily absorbable calcium than milk, no offense to the cows.

Val

wrote in message
...
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.

Thanks,
John