The carrot fly (''Chamaepsila rosae'') is a pest of gardens and farms, and mainly affects the crop of

carrot The carrot ('' Daucus carota'' subsp. ''sativus'') is a root vegetable, typically orange in colour, though heirloom variants including purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist, all of which are domesticated forms of the wild ...

s, but can also attack

parsnip The parsnip (''Pastinaca sativa'') is a root vegetable closely related to carrot and parsley, all belonging to the flowering plant family Apiaceae. It is a biennial plant usually grown as an annual. Its long taproot has cream-colored skin an ...

parsley Parsley, or garden parsley (''Petroselinum crispum''), is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to Greece, Morocco and the former Yugoslavia. It has been introduced and naturalisation (biology), naturalized in Eur ...

and

celery Celery (''Apium graveolens'' Dulce Group or ''Apium graveolens'' var. ''dulce'') is a cultivated plant belonging to the species ''Apium graveolens'' in the family Apiaceae that has been used as a vegetable since ancient times. The original wild ...

. It is a member of the family Psilidae (order

Diptera Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advance ...

Larvae

Crop damage is caused by the creamy-yellow larvae (

maggot A maggot is the larva of a fly (order Diptera); it is applied in particular to the larvae of Brachycera flies, such as houseflies, cheese flies, hoverflies, and blowflies, rather than larvae of the Nematocera, such as mosquitoes and cr ...

s) feeding on the outer layers of the carrot root. In autumn, they may penetrate further into the root. The legless larvae are up to 10 mm in length.

Symptoms of infestation

Foliage becomes wilted and discoloured. Leaves turn rusty red to scarlet with some yellowing. Rusty-brown tunnels are seen under the outer skin of mature roots.

Control

The flies lay their eggs around the developing carrots; the larvae, once hatched, burrow into the root. As female carrot flies are very low flying, the best method of prevention is to erect a barrier around the crop at least 2 feet (60 cm) high. Alternatively horticultural fleece may be used as a floating mulch to cover the crop. Because the carrot fly is attracted to host plants by odor, Intermixing of crops can also be a fruitful way to confuse and avoid carrot fly attack. Some plants such as rosemary and sage are also used to deter the carrot fly. Newer varieties of carrot which claim to be resistant to carrot fly (e.g. "Flyaway") may be used. Another method of control is to use heavier, fine plastic mesh available from garden centers and over the internet made specially for the purpose. This can be in the form of a surrounding wall or a complete "cage". Some form of support framework is necessary to prevent the netting from flattening the foliage. Also the bottom of the netting needs to be in close contact or buried in the soil as it is believed that the eggs are laid on bare soil. When the maggots hatch they then crawl towards the carrots so a soil level barrier is necessary. Commercially available beneficial

nematode The nematodes ( or ; ; ), roundworms or eelworms constitute the phylum Nematoda. Species in the phylum inhabit a broad range of environments. Most species are free-living, feeding on microorganisms, but many are parasitic. Parasitic worms (h ...

s (''Steinernema'' spp.) can be applied to the soil surrounding the carrot crop, where they will infect the damaging carrot root fly larvae.

Latin name

The original species name of ''Musca rosae'' ( Fabricius in ''Entomologia systematica emendata et aucta'' (1794)) was originally occupied by ''Musca rosae'' ( De Geer 1776), which was itself a synonym for the

hoverfly Hoverflies, also called flower flies or syrphids, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while the l ...

species ''Musca pyrastri'' Linnaeus, 1758 (now '' Scaeva pyrastri''). The new name of ''Chamaepsila hennigi'' was proposed for the Carrot fly by Thompson & Pont in 1994. As the name ''rosae'' Fabricius was well known for this major crop pest, applications were made to the

International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is an organization dedicated to "achieving stability and sense in the scientific naming of animals". Founded in 1895, it currently comprises 26 commissioners from 20 countries. Orga ...

for suppression of the name ''rosae'' of De Geer and the conservation of ''rosae'' of Fabricius. In 2006 they ruled under their

plenary power A plenary power or plenary authority is a complete and absolute power to take action on a particular issue, with no limitations. It is derived from the Latin language, Latin term . United States In United States constitutional law, plenary powe ...

s that ''rosae'' Fabricius, 1794 was not to be regarded as invalid by reason of being a junior primary

homonym In linguistics, homonyms are words which are either; '' homographs''—words that mean different things, but have the same spelling (regardless of pronunciation), or '' homophones''—words that mean different things, but have the same pronunciat ...

of ''Musca rosae'' De Geer, 1776.

References

External links

Pest Information Wiki

Web page on carrot fly
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1808247 Psilidae Agricultural pest insects Insects described in 1794 Carrot