Topic: Sciarid flies

[caroline7758]

These persistent little B****rs are still on my aubergines. Just wondering whether they can still do damage now that the plants are at least a foot tall, in big balck buckets and producing buds?

[star]

The flies themselves dont do any harm, though they are exceedingly annoying. I believe its the maggots that can cause some damage to the roots. They like moist soil/compost. Try watering from the bottom and let the top of the compost dry out, that should solve the problem.

Im sure if Im wrong someone will shout ;)

[moonbells]

I have had a plague of them this year in my conservatory, to the point that several pots of seedling beans were covered in the pupa cases and I caught several hundred in an hour after putting out just three yellow sticky traps, and they were landing on us, the cat, the baby... horrible.

I ordered some hypoapsis mites. They arrived one week ago. I now can't see any flies at all - I've got my room back again!

moonbells (usually it's red spider mite that invades the C - not this year!)

[caroline7758]

Might have to get some of those, then. Thanks, both.

[valmarg]

I'm not a big fan of the yellow 'sticky traps', particularly not in the greenhouse, insofar as they trap 'good guys', as well as bad.

They can trap hoverflies, bees, lacewings, and other beneficial insects, as well as the baddies :(

valmarg

[moonbells]

Stickies work fine when there's a ventless conservatory though!

Hypoaspis is the right spelling  ::)

http://www.defenders.co.uk/pest-solutions/biological-sciarid-fly-control.html

moonbells

[caroline7758]

Thanks for the link- just have to persuade myself it's worth spending that much!