Onion Fly

Gornalwwfc was watching aTopVeg video on YouTube& asked this question about onion fly:

does anyone have any ideas or ways of dealing with onion fly my allotment plot (near Dudley)is rife with it the onions leeks and even garlic plants are all affected?and none of the shops I’ve been to sell any kind of spray

This is the reply from TopVeg:

Hi Gornalwwfc

Bad luck - onion fly is a real problem.

Once you see the damage, the flies have laid the eggs, & the maggots have hatched out & are doing the damage.

• Lift and destroy plants effected - making sure there are no maggots left on the soil.

• Onion flies are attracted by the smell of fresh manure, so don’t plant your onions, leeks and garlic on freshly manured soil.

• Some garden centres sell chemicals to treat the soil where onion fly maggots are a problem.

Onion Fly(Latin name -Delia antiqua) is a serious pest of onions, leeks and garlic.