[billycasper]

Hello all, I have a question about a little wirey worm which i can see in my parsnips. The parsnips look like they have been nippled alittle but i put this down to slugs. However i spied a few very small white worms coming from holes in the parsnips
Any one know what they are ??
bc

[DD.]

Possibly carrot root fly larva. No cure - just prevention.

And I think you mean "nibbled" as opposed to what you've written! :oops:

[LucasAndRichard]

Nippled parsnips - Sell them on ebay, you'll make a fortune!!

[gobs]

     

Yep, mostly likely carrot fly. Con-miserations, what variety is it, as they aren't that very partial to them, try another next year.

[billycasper]

ha ha , oh boy i read that back this morning and  howled. sorry, i typed it out  on saturday after a few beverages, maybe it was a freudian slip. anyway
my carrots were planted next to the parsnips and yes they were eaten by carrot root fly.
1 question.. will the worms survive over winter or should i adopt a scorched earth policy before planting any other crops in that particular area.
nippled parsnips lol !!!

oh ! the parsnips were "gladiators"

[DD.]

You'll obviously be planting other crops there next year as a matter of course and they should not bother them.

You'll have to take precautions against carrot fly next year though, something like a 24" polythene fence or fleece/enviromesh.

I always grow my parsnips alongside my carrots so I can protect the lot in one go.

Many people don't realise that parsnips are vulnerable to carrot root fly.

[billycasper]

Yep its certainly going to be the fleece option next year. . The bed with the carrot fly community in it will have onions. hopefully they will die crying.

[Salmo]

I am not so sure that these would be carrot fly. They are tiny maggots rather than worms and should by now be turned into brown pupae and waiting ready to hatch and attack in the Spring.

Your worms are probably harmless and just making the most of slug holes. They could be tiny earthworms?

Good hygien helps. Never put old carrots on the compost heap in case they contain pupae. Turn over the old carrot bed to expose pupae to the weather and birds.

It is just my opinion, but I think that the current fashion for covering everything in plastic over winter protects the bugs and slugs from their natural enemies. Let the earth breath as nature intended.

[billycasper]

The parsnips look "nippled" at the top, and the nibbling  carries on around the parsnip. the affected area is rusty brown and within these are lttle holes, these contain the very small pale wirey worms of about a cm in length. . The parsnips themselves dont taste bad or bitter.

[Salmo]

Further to my previous comments I am sure that is carrot root fly. Most surprised to find it active so late in the year. Make sure that all the parings go into the dustbin and not on the compost.