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worms/maggot infestation
MrMito
Posts: 5
Hi All,
I'm having an issue with worms/maggots, recently my lawn and some potted plants have been dying for no apparent reason. I've just emptied one of the pots (rocket) and found almost 30 small worms/maggots in the pot! My lawn also appears to be the local feeding ground for the starling population and they are taking mouthfuls of these things at a time. I don't know if these are the direct cause of my lawn dying but I'd appreciate any insight anyone may have.
Regards
Neil
0
Posts
Leatherjackets Neil. The offspring of crane flies and they eat the roots of the grass. You can get nematodes for applying to kill them off although the starlings might be doing a good job for you at the moment.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Hi Fairygirl, thanks for the quick reply - I've gone from a fantastic lawn to a mud bath and any treatment I've tried hasn't worked. I'll try the nematodes as well as a lot of my young plants aren't fairing so well.
Thanks Again!
I must admit Neil - I've never seen them in pots. What you describe in the pots would normally be more like vine weevil damage - they like potted plants in particular and do the same to roots as the leatherjackets do to grass. They're white and more maggotty looking so check the roots of anything you have in pots in case it's two separate problems.
Interestingly, on another thread this morning, someone has just heard that there's been a 40% increase in leatherjackets here in Scotland which is causing issues with grassland.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I was totally surprised with the pot as well. My Rocket had been growing quite happily in an outside pot and then it just started to die. So I emptied the pot and found all of these. I'm going to have to treat everything just in case.
Cheers
N