Cabbage Maggot

Catalogue Type
Plant Pests Catalogue
Scientific Name
Delia radicum
Family
Anthomyiidae
Distinguishing Characters
Cabbage root maggots are white, legless, and about ⅓ inch long. As with most maggots, they clump in groups and will feed voraciously on root systems of cole crops.
The cabbage fly is tiny, grey and fragile, and will emerge in early spring. It resembles a small housefly. After feeding for about 10 days, eggs are laid at the base of cole crop seedlings.
Eggs are about ⅛ inch and oblong, and laid in rows, usually in moist or shaded areas (eggs are susceptible to heat damage, another reason they are mostly found in northern zones). They can often be seen near the main stem in the soil.
Larvae hatch and tunnel through the soil to feed on the roots. After feeding, they become cabbage root fly pupae and prepare for the transformation to become cabbage root flies.
Host Crop
Root and Stem of cabbage
Order
Diptera
Photo of Insect
Photo of Damaged Crop