Well for the first time in over 19 years our allotments have been attacked by leek moth. Apparently this little beastie only arrived in the UK in about 2003 from the Continent and until fairly recently was only found in the South East coastal areas of the UK. How far has it spread?
Can people let me know if they have had it and in what part of the country they live.?There is a website from Warwick University that seems to be involved in supplying information about it.
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/lifesci/wcc/hdcpestbulletin/leek_onion/leekmoth/
Also has anyone found a means of chemical control (apparently you can use the same things you use to control thrips) and how effective has using a fleece barrier been?
South West Birmingham
I've had it here in North Notts. Its not regular problem..yet.. ::)
As for control..at the first signs of damage..forage and kill..so far..so good...
I had it for the first time this year. Sigh.
In my garden, not near an allotment or anything, North Hampshire.
I did the same as Goodlife, peeled apart the affected leeks, killed the caterpillar, then put over debris netting. So far, this seems to have worked.
north somerset. 3rd year this year as far as I know and all leeks on the site were devastated. Most are not growing them next year. Even new environmesh, with the edges tucked down into the soil, does not stop them
I have used enviromesh and also fine net curtain on onions garlic and leeks and have since had no trouble.The mesh is on frames and held down very close to the ground.
Last year someone gave me a few garlic cloves he had left over and I planted them just outside of the covered ones and the moth got them all.
We are in North Somerset (WSM) and we've had it for several years.
I tried growing at home in the garden as nobody grows veg in our street but they were still affected.
On the allotment I grew under enviromesh one year and I think it was ok but it was such a faff and so difficult to weed.
Some of the best advice,I thing on here (Kitcat ?) and that was cutting plants down to ground level and they regrow.Although the results were obviously smaller we still had leeks.All that said we haven't bothered this year and it's doubtful when we will.
It's sad. :'( :'( Such a staple and easy British crop, now going to be hard or impossible to grow.
I'll end up with the entire veg plot covered with netting, what with pigeons, butterflies, carrot root fly, and now leek moth.
I am in South Essex and had it for the first time three or four years ago. I now use environmesh which controls it.
More and more people are noticing it on the site. The allotment shop now sells environmesh - they initially bought one roll hoping that it would sell.....and now they are on the second roll!
We have to net nearly everything - carrots from carrot fly, leeks from leek moth, brassicas from pigeons and cabbage white.....I just wish I had bought shares in Environmesh ;D
The leek moth is causing severe problems on our site in Suffolk this year. I think, though, that its been about for longer than eight years (2003) as in our field's archives of past minutes we have a reply to a letter one of our plot holders wrote (he included a sample) to the RHS in the mid 1990's, when they told him it was leek moth.
We have bad leek moth problems. I find environmesh right from planting protects well. Other people don't bother and their leeks do in the main survive for winter eating even if rather manky. I think breeding/eating times are Apr/May & Aug-Oct.
Lost all my leeks here in Swindon.... will mesh them next year....
We are in S E essex this is our third year all the leeks ruined,will use a frame with fine mesh curtain, gutted :'(
We have it here in Derby... not a total pest yet... but some losses. Seems a little better than last year... perhaps the cold Winter set it back a bit.. :-\
Was reading something about onion deseases and we also have the alium leaf miner to deal with as well as the alium moth
The following article was written by John Trim in the National Vegetable Society Quarterly Bulletin. Vol.10 part 4.
The Leek moth is becoming increasingly frequent problem in Southern England and it can also attack onions. This moth is of local occurrence in Britain, being mainly found along the east and south coasts, although it does sometimes occur, further inland. Those of us who have been troubled by this pest have found that the growing of leeks has become exceedingly difficult. The moth produces two generations during the summer. The larvae are active during May and June and again between August and October. They feed initially as leaf miners in the foliage but as they grow they bore into the stems of the leeks and into the bulbs of onions. Once the caterpillars have penetrated deep into the tissue of the plants it is nigh on impossible to reach them with pesticides. When the larvae have finished feeding they emerge from the plant and spin net like silk cocoons, usually on the foliage. Pupae of the late summer generation are present during September to October and the adults emerge during the latter month. This pest then over-winters as an adult moth in sheltered places. Control - Examine the foliage of the plants regularly, and if you spot damage on the leaf you can usually track down the larvae and destroy them. Pay special attention to your plants from May onwards. There is currently no pesticide effective against the moth that is available to amateur gardeners. An alternative, and very effective, way to protect your crop is to grow under fleece or, even better Enviromesh. The latter is more expensive but will last many years and has the advantage of allowing air circulation and natural rainfall through to the crop. It will exclude most pests, including the egg laying females of the leek moth. I have known some exhibition growers who have installed ultra violet lights that electrocute the moths when they attempt to land. If all else fails and your crop has been badly infected you can always cut the foliage off your leeks and they will re-grow, albeit somewhat smaller. But do not try this with onions. But, realistically, if you live in an area where leek moth is prevalent the only way forward is to provide some form of physical barrier to prevent the female moth reaching the crop.
My leeks are OK in windy north London.
Seems to be all over my allotment site in Brighton this year.
Last year the leeks were just beautiful... :(
Thanks for all your contributions. It looks like it has now got as far as the East and West Midlands but based on the fact there are no further reports it hasn't spread further North or West-as yet!!
Anyone found an effective insecticide??