[strangerachael]

I dug up some carrots today and there were some tiny creatures (I think) that looked a bit like maggots, sticking half in and half out of them. They didn't appear to be moving/alive. Surely they couldn't have been carrot fly larvae at this time of year? If they were they hadn't got very far, plus they were all the way down at the bottom and hadn't made any tunnels. Maybe they were small roots? But they pulled out too easily. I was mystified  Any suggestions? They don't seem to have done any damage.

[Y.E.A.H]

what colour were they ?

[Salmo]

They are almost definately carrot fly maggots from eggs laid in the Autumn.

That is how carrot fly can spend the Winter if they do not pupate by late Autumn. These are waiting to pupate when the soil warms up and then they will hatch out as carrot flies and lay their eggs on your new crop.

This is a lesson in why you should not put carrots in your compost bin, or dig them in, or leave them in the ground too long - even if they are small useless ones.

[strangerachael]

Luckily there aren't too many carrots left now and I will make sure they are all dug up soon - and not composted.