Psila rosea or carrot root has larvae that feed on your root veg by burrowing into the flesh ‘ugh!’

Five Tips to Deter Root Fly

1. Select varieties to grow that have been bred for resistance to carrot root fly.

2. Cover carrot crops with fleece to prevent low flying female flies from laying eggs on your crop.

3. Follow good crop rotation to avoid overwintering pupae hatching in the middle of your crop.

4. Grow in narrow beds with 18″ high polythene or fine mesh barriers to keep female flies at bay or in raised beds.

5. Use biological controls such as nemotodes, Carrot root fly killer or sticky traps.

Five Scent Deterrents for Root Fly

6. Sow seeds thinly to avoid thinning out which releases the scent of the carrots thus attracting flies.

7. Grow carrots alongside strong smelling plants like alliums chives and garlic.

8. Sow carrots in June after thee first generation of pest have gone.

9. Do not grow your carrots with similar root veg like parsnips and celery as they too can harbour root flies.

10. Sow carrots mixed in with other crops to make them harder for pests to single out for destruction.

Five Varieties Resistant to Root Fly

Flyaway
Ibiza
Maestro
Parano
Resistafly

More carrot seeds at Thompson & Morgan

Photo = Carrots by Steve Wilhelm CC BY-NC-SA 2.0