What the onion fly looks like
Outwardly, the onion fly looks very much like an ordinary fly. And yet it has differences that make it possible to recognize this formidable adversary.
The body of the onion fly, about 7 mm long, has a yellowish-gray color. You can tell the male from the female by a dark stripe on the abdomen. It is present only in the male individuals.
The arrival of the onion fly usually occurs in April, when dandelions begin to bloom. Without delay, it immediately gets to work. The onion fly, it should be noted, is extraordinarily prolific and destroys – or rather, devours – first the sweet varieties of onion. And then it turns to the bitter ones. Incidentally, this garden predator does not turn up its nose at garlic and lettuce either.
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The onion fly lays up to 60 white eggs per season, with a distinct lengthwise marking. It manages to distribute its future offspring on the onion heads, in their scales, and under clumps of soil between the beds. In about 8 days, repulsive-looking white legless larvae come into the world. Soon this «army» heads straight for the bases of the bulbs, easily penetrates the flesh, and greedily devours the onions.
Having gorged themselves to the full, in about 3 weeks the larvae crawl away and bury themselves in the ground to a depth of 15–20 cm. Here they pupate. And in 15–20 days a swarm of young onion flies takes wing, ready to storm the onion beds anew. In favorable weather and with an abundance of rain, these pests are capable of carrying out up to three devastating invasions in a season.
Signs of infestation
You can detect the onion fly in the garden by the following signs. First, the onions in the beds suddenly stop growing. And the leaves – the green tops – begin to wilt quickly, turn yellow – and dry out.
Second. The onion suddenly loses its familiar smell. And to be completely certain of the presence of this well-known enemy in our garden, it’s worth digging up a bulb. Discovering a rotten coating on it, you realize that the future harvest is partly ruined. The onion fly has already managed to do serious damage.
How to get rid of the onion fly: 6 methods
Many gardeners have already accumulated sufficient experience in the fight against this voracious and prolific insect. And there are quite a few methods that allow you to mount an effective defense against an invasion of onion flies.
The most popular method of getting rid of the onion fly – is scattering ordinary ash between the moist beds. If you do this twice a month, the pest will no longer dare to approach the growing onions.
Tobacco dust also drives away these well-known pests. The beds need to be treated with this remedy every 10 days. For affected areas, a tobacco infusion is usually used. The recipe for preparing this effective remedy is very simple. Take 250 g of tobacco and dissolve it in a bucket of water. After two days, strain the mixture and, using a sprayer, treat the beds with the planted onions.
Ammonia not only repels the onion fly but also destroys its larvae. It’s enough to dissolve three tablespoons of this substance in a bucket of water to get a formidable mixture capable of saving the future onion harvest. However, it is recommended to water the beds with this solution only once a month.
Stems of wormwood scattered between the rows of onions – are a tried-and-true folk remedy in the fight against the onion fly.
Carrots planted nearby are also not to the pest’s liking. And marigolds do not allow the onion fly to settle on the beds. This ornamental plant is usually planted around the onion plantation.
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