How to get rid of root maggots?

in #advice6 years ago

We have a small farm in the Western Cape, and have been hit in the last 2 months by these little buggers called Cabbage root flies.
rootfly.jpg

Essentially these flies lay their eggs at the stem of a plant (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower) and when the larvae Hatch, they proceed to eat the roots of the host plants.
This damages and even kills the plants because their root structure is compromised.

So we are desperately looking for a fix for this issue for a couple of thousand cabbage plants that we have in the ground currently.
39008_original.jpg

So are there any people out there with experience in getting rid of these pests once they've set in?

Things that are suggested (that we know of) :

  • putting a cover over plants to stop the adult flies
  • having a plastic cover or sheet on the ground with slots in them for the plants
  • mulch and other items to cover ground
    cover.jpg

These are preventative measures, but we already have the issue and are looking to kill them in the ground without hurting the plants further....if that's possible.

Or else it's just nursing them to get through the fly 'season'.

Is there any advice please?

Much appreciated.

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Eish! I know NOTHING about gardening, but I hope you find a magic potion soon and that it isn't too late to save your crops.

Thanks Lee! Me too

have you asked the Google God? I have seen some morons who claim google is superior. May the force be with you.

LOL! Yup, and it isn't too positive. Apparently the buggers are too deep in the root and soil structure to be affected by pesticides. So the suggestion is to feed the plants as much as possible to keep them alive till maggots are gone. So liquid food they need