Carrots are one of the most popular vegetables to grow in your own garden. However, they must be checked regularly during the season in order to be able to detect pest or disease infestations in good time.
What pests occur on carrots and how can you combat them?
The most common pests on carrots are the carrot fly, butterfly caterpillars, aphids and bedbugs. Preventive measures include crop rotation, avoiding farmyard manure, targeted interplanting of leeks, onions, calendula or marigolds and regular control of infestation.
Threats of many kinds
As with all plants, the occurrence of diseases and pests in carrots is particularly likely when large quantities of carrots are grown in a small area. Then there is a risk of optimal spreading conditions for an infestation of any kind. The most important pests in carrot cultivation in this country are:
- Carrot fly
- Butterfly caterpillars
- Aphids
- Bugs
The carrot fly and its effects
The carrot fly is attracted by the smell of carrot roots, which is why carrots should only be isolated and thinned out when there is no wind. Fertilization with fresh stable manure should also be avoided in the carrot bed, as this would promote the development of fly larvae. The carrot fly lays its eggs around the root collar of the carrots. When the fly larvae hatch after about a week, they eat their burrows right through the carrots.
Fighting the carrot fly and other pests
Even if you don't want to use chemical antidotes in your own garden, you can still take measures to prevent carrot fly infestations and other pests. Carrots should only be grown in the same place in the bed every three years. In addition, various intermediate plants can have a deterrent effect on various pests.
Detect the infestation in good time
The most important thing when combating pests in the vegetable patch is detecting the infestation in good time. You can easily check this yourself with a white piece of paper. Hold this flat next to the green shoots of the carrots and gently tap them off. If harmful insects fall onto the paper, they can be seen more easily than on the ground. Be sure to always check your plants at different points in the bed, as an infestation usually occurs in a nest-like concentration at one point.
Protect against pests with biological weapons
An infestation with harmful insects can be prevented relatively easily if care is taken to interplant with certain types of vegetables when sowing the carrots. Some types of vegetables have a repellent effect on the carrot fly and other feeding pests with their smell, for example:
- Leek
- Onions
- Calendula
- Tagetes
Tips & Tricks
If you notice a pest infestation, you should not dispose of the removed carrots directly next to your bed. Leave the removed carrots to compost in a distant spot in the garden or, better yet, bury them at least 50 centimeters deep.
