Pests

Common Pests

Potato onions are pretty much pest free. The only problem I've encountered thus far is slugs, and that has not been for a number of years.

• Onion Fly - adult onion flies are 5-7mm long and resemble small grey house flies. The larvae are white, legless and headless maggots that can reach 10mm in length. The maggots feed on the roots and bulbs making them inedible and can kill seedlings.

• Onion Thrips - the thrip punctures leaves and sucks the sap that exudes, leaving whitish areas on the leaves. Infestation is worse in seasons of drought and can sometimes lead to the destruction of entire crops. 

• Flea Beetle 

• Slugs - years ago, when I had a slug problem, surprisingly I would find them on my onions. To correct my slug problem, I used slug traps filled with beer and removed my wood plank walkways (I would find dozens attached to the rotting wood beneath each plank).