SEEDCORN
MAGGOT, BEAN SEED FLY. Delia platura (previously
known as Hylemya platura). This is the larva
of a small fly related to the cabbage and onion maggots,
and is a pest in many countries. It was introduced
to North America from Europe in the 1800's and feeds
on large seeds such as peas,
beans and corn, and on seedlings and young shoots of
many other plants. It is also considered to transmit
rot organisms.
The
maggot is legless, yellowish-white, about a quarter
inch long, tapered to a point at the front and blunt
at the rear. It is most damaging in weather which
is cold and wet and where the soil is high in organic
matter. It has recently been discovered to attack daylilies,
causing a rapid collapse of the affected plants.
There may be several generations of maggots each
year. No controls are yet established for this pest
in daylilies. |
