Leeks Ruined

[DannyK]

Just dug up my leeks. Found loads of little black things, 3mmx1mm burrowing through the bulbs. Not slugs, they felt crunchy when squashed. Any idea what they are and how to avoid next year please.

[bearded bloke]

That will be leek moth have a read here .... https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=652

[Jungle Jane]

Try to mask the onion scent maybe interplanted with carrots or French marigolds around them? Lots of flowers to attract predatory insects,like dwarf sunflowers for the ladybirds. Hope you can salvage some leek pieces?

[DannyK]

Thanks. No sign of caterpillar like creatures. Here's photo of one on end of a Stanley knife--best I can do with extension tubes and cropping, any more and it blurs. I wonder if these are pupae as no legs and they feel crunchy when crushed.

[Penellype]

That looks distinctly like a pupa and I would therefore think your problem is more likely to be leaf miner than leek moth.

[astraman1]

allium leaf miner they are a pain we had them too all in my garlic and in the grandads leeks

[Mr Bones]

Sorry for your loss Danny, it's a pupae of the allium leaf miner, ours are ruined too. You can avoid by growing under cover (0.8mm mesh) and I've been reading about bacillus thuringiensis, which occurs in nature but sounds a bit of a faff for anyone wanting to use it in a spray (not that I want to).

[bearded bloke]

Didn't think they were down your way, but that's deffo ... https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=643 ... I get them every year adding to that info, effects can be reduced by Spring planting & crop rotation.

[Nicos]

We have this too.
Very frustrating.
I think next year I'll pull all mine end Sept/early October

[Aberdeenplotter]

Just invest in some fleece or environmesh and keep them covered at all times.

[Root66]

Damn I have the white patches described on the RHS.
Taking some out soon, so now will be doing it with huge apprehension

[TrixC]

I had allium leaf miner on my garlic last year and it ruined the crop. I believe the moth has two seasons where it's active - once in spring and then again in autumn - so those are the critical times to cover your crops.

[DannyK]

Thank's everyone. I'll be fleecing crop next year and moving it elsewhere.

The RHS's site is poorly laid out. No mention of miner on Leek page. If you plough through the page on the moth a link is buried well down! Didn't spot it first time as I just looked at the pic.

[seasprout]

Oh dear

It sounds like Allium Leaf Minor, it's traveling up the country at a rate of knots.

Here's the info:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=643

Only thing you can really do is grow under enviro mesh.

[Ovce domácí]

We've got the same little beasts on ours. First year Ive grown leeks and first time we grew in that spot so rotation wont help much. Mesh/Fleece next year it is then.