Description
Carrot Fly Card by Julian Williams
SKU: H47
CARROT FLY Psila rosae
The ‘Carrot Fly‘ is a tiny black insect with a yellow head. The adult flies emerge in May and are attracted by the scent of the bruised leaves of carrots which they can smell a mile away. They will also lay their eggs on parsnips and celery.
Wise gardeners plant their carrots in late spring in order to miss being infected by the first generation, they will also sow the seeds apart from each other so that they will not bruise the carrot leaves whilst thinning them later. Another common trick is to disguise the scent of carrots amongst strong smelling crops of garlic, onions, shallots, and leeks.
As the flies tend to hug the ground when flying and cannot find their way over a barrier.
Your crop can be protected from infestation by surrounding your plants by a low wall or planting them in pots on a shelf. Fortunately modern gardeners also have the luxury of growing varieties of carrots that are resistant to the carrot fly
