A Few Pests That Attack Parsnips

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There are several crops that are very easy to grow. One such plant is parsnip which requires minimal maintenance. Not only that, they are also incredibly hardy. They’re resistant to various diseases and not a lot of pests bother them because they produce their own natural insecticide called furanocumarins.

Hardy as they are, there remain a few pests that can’t resist the taste of this humble root plant. Some of these pests are wire worms, carrot fly and aphids.

You’ll discover that wire worms are attacking your parsnips once you notice small holes on the root. If you look closely, these holes will have shiny, wiry jointed yellow larvae. They dwell on the soil and so in case you notice them there before you began to plant, flood the soil to get rid of them. You can also remove parsnips plants which have been infected in order to avoid the spreading of wire worms.

The carrot fly is small and slim. It’s around forty-four millimeters long with a yellow green color. It is not really a common parsnip pest because they choose to feed more on carrots, however when they do attack, they are able to still cause substantial damage.

Carrot flies are drawn by the smell of parsnips so it is useful to plant onions or garlic nearby to drive them away. To prevent them from attacking your parsnips, you may also use a fine mesh around your crops. Spraying foliar sprays on your parsnips and around the boundaries of your crops could also help.

When the leaves of your parsnips are turning yellow and distorted, its growth stunted, they are likely being infected by aphids. This particular pest sucks the sap of the leaves, stems and fruits, distorting the tissues in the process. This leads to a leaf curl and the above mentioned symptoms.

It is possible to treat affected crops by spraying them with soapy water or using a hosepipe to knock them off the parsnips. Introducing predator insects like lady beetles could also help. If this isn’t getting them under control, you can use chemical sprays instead such as fenitrothion, malathion or menazon. Aphids have a period wherein they are inactive which is the best time to control them.

The author is a nutritionist and is currently working for a non-profit health care corporation. For more information about the topic, visit the following link: Parsnip Recipes

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Topics: Home and Garden | Comments Off

Tags: insects, parsnip, pests

Article Citation
MLA Style Citation:
Tyner, Elroy "A Few Pests That Attack Parsnips." A Few Pests That Attack Parsnips. 6 Dec. 2011. uberarticles.com. 14 Apr 2012 <http://uberarticles.com/home-and-garden/a-few-pests-that-attack-parsnips/>.

APA Style Citation:
Tyner, E (2011, December 6). A Few Pests That Attack Parsnips. Retrieved April 14, 2012, from http://uberarticles.com/home-and-garden/a-few-pests-that-attack-parsnips/

Chicago Style Citation:
Tyner, Elroy "A Few Pests That Attack Parsnips" uberarticles.com. http://uberarticles.com/home-and-garden/a-few-pests-that-attack-parsnips/

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