Allium Leaf Miner Alert!

Hello everyone

Fiona has alerted us to the fact that the Allium leaf miner is present on our site (Moulsecoomb Estate). She first spotted damage to her leeks on Sunday and we have since found that our leeks are affected too. I’m attaching one of her photos. As the name indicates, the pest attacks every member of the Allium family – leeks, onion, chives, shallot and garlic – and cause serious damage.

The adult fly lays her eggs in the leaves and the maggots tunnel into the crop and you will see lines of white spots on leaves, maggots themselves or brown pupae in the stems and bulbs. The initial damage is done by the maggots, but secondary fungal and bacterial infections set in and cause very bad rotting.

So inspect your crops now. You can eat the undamaged parts but don’t try to store the crop or leave it in the ground – you will probably lose the entire crop due to rot. And if some of the pupae drop into the soil, you won’t be able to grow alliums in that patch of ground next year.

These 2 websites have very good information about the Allium leaf miner and how to control it in future years.

These 2 websites have very good information about the Allium leaf miner and how to control it in future years.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=643

https://gardening.which.co.uk/…/articles/214052285-Allium-l…

Good luck!
Dave Witts
Moulsecoomb Allotments and Horticultural Society (MAHS)

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