Beware of the onion fly: how to fight and win

Onion is one of the most useful crops in the garden. The vegetable is unpretentious in care, but gardeners have to make efforts to save the crop from pests. The main danger to onions in the garden and at home is the onion fly. What kind of insect this is and how to effectively fight it, we will tell you in our article.

Onion fly: description and life cycle

The onion fly is an insect that lives throughout Russia, regardless of the region and climate zone.

Outwardly, it is similar to a regular one, only smaller: its length is 6-8 mm. In color it is not black, but gray or ashen. This type of fly begins to appear in the garden in the first warm days, at the end of April or in the first week of May.

When the female reaches maturity, she begins to lay eggs near the onion. At one time, the fly lays 5-20 eggs, and over the entire life cycle - up to 60 eggs. Depending on weather conditions, after 3-7 days the larvae emerge from the eggs and immediately penetrate the bulbs. They can infect the entire plant - feathers and bulb, or as a group they can penetrate into one area, for example, into the lower part of the bulb, where the roots grow.

Onion flies spend 3 weeks in their larval form. During this entire period they live inside the plant and eat it from the inside. The larvae then enter the pupal stage. They move from the bulb to the ground next to it, and after another 20 days young insects emerge from the pupae.

Interesting! With the onset of cold weather, insects burrow into the ground to a depth of about 10 cm, pupate and overwinter in the soil until the onset of warm weather.

Harm of onion fly to plants

Adults do not harm garden crops. They feed on nectar and pollen of wild plants, but the trouble is that they lay eggs in the beds. The main danger is larvae of flies, which can completely destroy the onion crop.

The larvae also settle inside other plants: garlic, bulbous flowers. Up to 40-50 larvae can simultaneously settle in one bulb, which eat away the juicy core from the inside.

Signs of onion damage

How to determine that onions are infected with onion fly larvae?

Main features:

• onions and garlic develop more slowly than usual;
• feathers (green part) become yellow, flaccid, dry out;
• the bulbs are soft to the touch, limp, with a rotten coating;
• Onions give off an unpleasant odor, like rotten vegetables.

The fight against larvae begins at the first signs in order to save the crop and prevent the proliferation of pests.

Important! Vegetables affected by larvae should not be eaten.

How to deal with onion fly in the garden and in the apartment

To get rid of onion flies in the garden and in the apartment, many means are used. All that remains is to choose what to use - a folk remedy or a chemical preparation.

Folk remedies for onion flies

Treating onions with folk remedies is effective if you detect the pest in time and there are very few infected bulbs.

The advantage of such methods is that all products are safe for humans:

1. Tobacco dust. This affordable product is sold in any agricultural store. In its pure form or mixed with sand in a 1:1 ratio, treat the onion rows and furrows.
2. Ammonia. Dilute 3 tbsp. l. ammonia per 10 liters of water. Water the beds in the evening, at the root, avoiding the green part. Flies may disappear after the first procedure, but for prevention, watering is repeated 2 more times per season.
3. Wood ash. There are often dry branches left in the garden. After burning them, the resulting ash is stirred in water and the beds are watered with this solution. This environmentally friendly product will not only destroy insects, but will also be a good fertilizer for the soil.
4. Laundry soap. Prepare a solution of 50 g of soap per 10 liters of water and water the onion beds.
5. Sunflower ash. It can be bought in stores. The solution is prepared in the proportion of 250 g of ash per 10 liters of water and water the beds abundantly.

Chemicals

With the help of chemicals they cope not only with larvae, but also with adult flies. Experts recommend using insecticides and pesticides in extreme cases when other methods are ineffective.

Strictly follow the dosage and processing methods, since chemicals are toxic and can harm the body, and onions quickly accumulate toxic substances.

Means to combat onion fly:

1. The drug “Dachnik” used in the form of a solution for spraying the area. The solution is diluted weakly concentrated, not more than 0.15%. Destroys up to 80% of pests.
2. “Fly-eater”, “Zemlin” - preparations to combat larvae that have settled in the soil. They are poured onto the surface of the earth and loosen the soil. Consumption will be 50 g per 10 m².
3. The drug “Bazudin” applied during sowing of onions, and then after 3 weeks in the furrows between the rows. After application, be sure to water the beds.
4. “Tabazol” and “Aktara” are effective, They are used to treat bulbs and soil by spraying.The substance should not get on onion shoots.

Features of the fight against onion fly when growing in an apartment

If you grow onions in an apartment, then when the first yellowed feathers appear, begin to take the same measures as in the garden so as not to lose the entire harvest.

For prevention, place bunches of fragrant plants, for example, mint, tansy, wormwood, on shelves near the onions. You can make a trap in the form of a piece of apple or orange in an open bag.

The onion fly will certainly fly to the sweet smell, after which the bag must be tied and thrown away. If there are a lot of flies and eaten bulbs, the onions will have to be thrown away, and the soil will have to be treated with chemicals or replaced completely.

Attention! When treating a plant with chemicals, take all precautions - wear gloves and a respirator. It is advisable not to stay indoors for 1-2 days after treatment, and to ventilate the apartment well.

How to get rid of flies when storing onions? After harvesting from the beds and drying, the vegetables are thoroughly checked at least once a week. Bulbs with onion fly larvae are immediately thrown away.

How to prevent onion flies

The sooner you detect signs of onion flies in the beds, the more effective the fight against them will be. And with the help of simple agricultural methods you will avoid their reappearance next year:

1. Loosening the soil between the rows onions after each watering - flies do not lay eggs in loose soil. In the fall, after harvesting, the beds are dug deep. Onion fly pupae overwinter in the ground and, once exposed to the open air, die from the cold.
2. Boarding time. The sooner you plant onions in open ground, the less likely the plants are to become infected.By the time the eggs are laid, the bulbs will already have time to get stronger and will be more resistant to pests.
3. Only high-quality planting material is selected. Stored onion sets may already be infected with onion fly larvae. It is better to buy it from a trusted manufacturer. If you are not sure of the quality, then you need to process the sets before planting. To begin with, carefully sort through all the onions and discard soft or damaged specimens. Then dilute a weak pink solution of potassium permanganate and soak the seedlings in it for 15-20 minutes. Dried onions can be planted.
4. Choose a sunny place for planting onions, where the soil will heat up quickly. Light partial shade is allowed, but not dark and damp places.
5. Crop rotation rules are important. Onions are not planted in the same place for several years in a row. If the onion fly managed to settle in the soil and remained there for the winter, then in the spring the larvae will immediately begin to eat the plantings. It is ideal to plant onions in the place where cabbage previously grew. You can return to the previous place where the onions were planted after 4 years, then you will interrupt the process of breeding flies.
6. Proper watering is important for the development of healthy bulbs. Onions do not like too dry soil; a lack of moisture will make them bitter and small. Excess moisture will cause the bulbs to rot. After planting, the seedlings are watered once a week for a month. Then increase the intervals between waterings to 10 days. Another month later, during the hottest period, water once every 5 days. In rainy weather there is no need to water. When the onion feathers begin to fall to the ground, this is a sign that it is time to stop watering completely.
7. The onion fly is repelled by the smell of carrots and tomatoes. Therefore, when planting, experienced gardeners alternate beds of onions and carrots; they also try to plant tomatoes nearby.This proximity is extremely beneficial, since the carrot fly, in turn, is afraid of the smell of onions.
8. A decoction of strong-smelling herbs, such as mint, wormwood, valerian, wild rosemary, pine needles, spray onions to repel pests. Such decoctions can be used often and without fear for the harvest, since they are environmentally friendly and completely safe.
9. A salt solution will help get rid of onion flies. To prepare the solution, take 250-300 g of salt and dilute it in 10 liters of warm water. Water the beds immediately, being careful not to touch the green part of the onion. The treatment is carried out at least three times per season, alternating with other means. 4-5 hours after treatment, water the onion with water.
10. Onions are fed with mineral and organic fertilizers. Mineral - “Superphosphate”, potassium sulfate, “Nitroammofoska”, “Fertika”. Organic: mullein, chicken manure, horse manure. Fertilizers will increase the immunity of the bulbs and make them more resistant to pest control.

Tips and recommendations from experienced summer residents

Take advantage of some more useful tips from gardeners that will help you avoid mistakes:

1. If larvae have already settled in the bulbs, they must be immediately pulled out and destroyed, burned. Never place affected onions in a compost bin.
2. A proven method of preventing the appearance of onion flies: 1 tsp. dissolve tar (you can buy it at the pharmacy, it will last for 3-4 years) in 1 liter of water and soak the onion in this solution for about 3 hours before planting. The smell of tar in the garden is almost imperceptible to humans, but it repels pests. Some summer residents grease rags with tar and place them between the rows of onions.
3. When applied to the soil or when watering onions with ash, keep in mind that this product can burn onion roots - strictly follow the dosage.
4. If the case is advanced and you cannot do without chemicals, remember that processed onion greens cannot be eaten. Especially if the plants were sprayed.

Read also:

How to eat onions for weight loss: recipes for dietary dishes.

Harvesting and storing onions: when it's time to dig them out of the garden.

Stop crying in the kitchen: learn to cut onions without crying.

Conclusion

Dealing with onion fly is not difficult when you know the methods and means of getting rid of it. There are folk remedies that are absolutely safe, and special chemical preparations that will save onions in severe cases. However, it is better to carry out preventive measures starting in the fall in order to get an excellent harvest next year, untouched by pests.