Cabbage maggot—Delia radicum
Cabbage maggot larvae are small, legless, and white, usually less than 0.33 inch when full grown; the
head end is pointed and the rear is blunt. Adults are dark gray flies about half the size of the common
housefly.
Life cycle
Damage
Maggots tunnel through root systems of all cole crops. Tunnels provide entryways for pathogens. Youngest
plants are most susceptible; healthy plants attacked after they are well established can usually tolerate
moderate infestations.
Solutions
Prevention is the best management strategy.
Avoid overfertilization with manure; maggots prefer to lay
eggs in rich soil. Disc weeds at least two weeks before planting.
Plant transplants or pregerminated seeds.
Cover seedbeds with protective
cloth or cover
individual plants. Remove infested plants. Once plants are
infested, maggots cannot be reliably controlled with pesticides.
| 
Cabbage
maggot larvae
Damage
to root of seedling
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