[stentman]

Infested onions but with what?

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=38178.0
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=75123.0
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=77397.0

As you can see I have had a search around the forum because of my onion problem. I noticed some of my shallots at first looking a little sorry for themselves, they looked translucent almost and felt soft when squeezed between finger and thumb. Oddly only my white shallots are like this but the red ones are fine. Sadly today I have noticed my onions, planted last winter and grown from sets, suffering from the same thing. I selected 6 onions and cut into them.  Each was brownish in patches and had three or four small black maggot like things crawling around. Each maggot would be about 5 or 6mm long and thin. I also found some brown capsules about the size of a grain of rice on the bulbs. When I sliced open some shallots same sorry story. The maggots aren’t fat and white nor are they in great number could it still be onion fly larvae and pupae or something else? From reading the above links it seems if it is there is no cure only the bin. Any advice would be welcome.

[Trillium]

do they look like this?
http://www.organicgardeninfo.com/onion-maggot.html

[Lardman]

Knowing where you are - check the leaves any sign of damage or small pin like holes?

Take a look here http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=77272.0 I found these making a b-line for the garlic bulbs.

In previous years I've not noticed the maggot on its way down but the damage to the bulbs and rice like casing were evident. Onions, shallots, garlic and leeks have all been crossed off the growing list.

[stentman]

do they look like this?
http://www.organicgardeninfo.com/onion-maggot.html

Sadly no Trillium they are far thinner and much closer in size to the beasties pictured in Lardman's link. Mum's link to the RHS site within Lardmans link hits the nail very squarely on the head. The picture shown there is exactly what I have got. Allium leaf miner it is then. Disappointment just doesn't cover it, last year my onions were ok this time I have lavished lots of TLC on them and they are/were so very much better than I have ever grown before.  

[Lardman]

Not a good picture but this is what I found inside last years onions.

To say the air was blue when I saw how quickly everything here was decimated would be an understatement. 

[stentman]

Not a good picture but this is what I found inside last years onions.

To say the air was blue when I saw how quickly everything here was decimated would be an understatement.  

That saves me a photo as that is exacty what I found inside mine. To make matters worse the onions (Around 40) I checked last night were in the veg patch at home. This morning I have been down the plot (60 more) and its the same sad story. So now what to do? Firstly let all the other plot holders know the leaf miner has landed, not a pleasant task, secondly dig up all mine in both places. All hopes of storage and keeping for months have gone. The best I can do is salvage what edible sections I can then chop and freeze them for use in soups and the like.  Any suggestions as to other practical uses for the onions would be gratefully received as would any plans for next year I would hate to have to stop growing onions, shallots and leeks.

Bulk order of enviromesh anyone

[Nige2Plots]

What an interesting thread this is! On our allotment site of around 40 plots, everyone who has grown Onions this year has had the same problem. Not one plot has been spared.

[mumofstig]

Bulk order of enviromesh anyone

If the pest lists get much longer, I can see us having to enviromesh the whole blinking plot

[Lardman]

Bulk order of enviromesh anyone

If the pest lists get much longer, I can see us having to enviromesh the whole blinking plot

If everyone else around the Midlands is seeing the same it will crush many allotment holders. Not much point in having a plot if there's literally nothing you can grow without mesh! Its not like the odd one is lost in a row - certainly here every plant is useless.

Other than turnips and beans I can't think of anything I can grow here out in the open.

[stentman]

If everyone else around the Midlands is seeing the same it will crush many allotment holders.

There is no requirement to report findings to the authorities anymore. So I thought it might be intereresting to do a not very scentific straw poll amongst ourselves to see how far these things have spread, if the mods don't mind of course. First reported less than 10 years ago in Wolverhampton they seem to have moved rapidlly out from there. I have them in Telford Shropshire, and from the few posts in this thread they are already in Bedworth Warks and Worcestershire. Anybody else??

[bazial]

Hi
    You can add Hill Hole Allotments Markfield Leicestershire to the list ,most plot holders have lost there onions to leaf miner .This years plants have got it ,but at the moment the autumn planted ones seem to be ok