Produce > Pests & Diseases

Leek moth and onions

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Mart56:
I have had leek moth for a couple of years and use enviromesh this year on my leeks.  However it looks like my onions are starting to suffer - tips wilting, marks on leaves.  If I dig them up (they are a couple of weeks off ready) will the bulbs still be OK or will the pest continue to turn them to mush?

saddad:
Well they will pick on onions, if they can't get at the leeks, but those symptoms can be other things. I find that the pests in the leaves rarely get into the bulbs, you can cut off the worst foliage if you feel it necessary, but the drying out of the onions tends to solve the problem... that's why they prefer leeks, they are in the ground longer, allowing the wee beastie to complete it's life cycle... as the onion foliage will die off in the next few weeks any baby beasties will die with it.. seems to be my experience... onions going mushy is usually white rot...

Mart56:
That sounds promising.  Onions not going mushy yet.  I've found some things that look like the pictures I've seen of the little b.......  Fingers crossed then.  Thanks.

Vinlander:
I would be surprised if the moth jumps to onions before affecting other more closely-related alliums... Anybody seen it first-hand on other crops at all?

Apparently Babbingtons (Allium ampeloprasum) isn't affected - at least according to this link which recommends them as a substitute crop: https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/when-leek-not-leek.

However leek moth does seem to be quite localised, so I suppose it might just hit whatever is grown in quantity nearby - I suspect some ornamental alliums will be more common than Babbingtons, and Elephant garlic might be common enough to be the next victim?

Cheers.

saddad:
I tolerate some self set Babbington Leeks on my allotment, used to grow them as a crop but no longer harvest them... just preserving bio diversity.. not seen any evidence of the moth on them, might have a closer look.

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