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Day Lily gall midge

magnblasemagnblase Posts: 3
in Problem solving
I'm writing from Vancouver Island in British Columbia Canada where I am experiencing midge problems on 2 of my Day lilies. I have been religiously removing and destroying affected galls for 2 years now and am wondering about alternative treatments. I was wondering if I was to dig them up with a large root ball and remove the soil and wash the roots them plant in containers would I get rid of the overwintering larvae?

Posts

  • Alan Clark2 in LiverpoolAlan Clark2 in Liverpool Posts: 2,190
    The problem is that there are likely to be midges remaining in the soil in the garden, so you are unlikely to get rid of them by that method. The adults can also fly a couple of miles from other infected plants.
    I also remove infected galls, but I have also started spraying with a systemic weedkiller early in the season. This seems to be fairly effective, but you will need to repeat every year.
  • Joyce21Joyce21 Posts: 15,489
    A while ago on a gardening programme, a hemerocallis breeder said it was the early flowering types that were affected.
    SW Scotland
  • Alan Clark2 in LiverpoolAlan Clark2 in Liverpool Posts: 2,190
    pansyface said:
    Alan, do you really mean systemic “weedkiller” or do you mean systemic insecticide?
    Whoops! Yes, I meant insecticide! 
  • Alan Clark2 in LiverpoolAlan Clark2 in Liverpool Posts: 2,190
    Joyce21 said:
    A while ago on a gardening programme, a hemerocallis breeder said it was the early flowering types that were affected.
    That is correct, there is only one generation per year so only early flowers are affected.
  • magnblasemagnblase Posts: 3
    OK thanks all.  I hadn't realised they could fly that far.  I guess I assumed the larvae, as they developed, fell into the soil immediately around the plant.  And yes these are relatively early bloomers.   :'(
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