Narcissus fly - 2012

[mark smyth]

Has anyone in Europe/UK/Ireland seen a Narcissus fly?

Hopefully the cold weather in the UK will keep them in their pupas

[PeterT]

saw one in March...... three weeks ago I moved daffodills, some bulbs were half eaten and the pupa were long gone. The damaged scales were just begining to calous (if that is the right word?)

[Maggi Young]

saw one in March...... three weeks ago I moved daffodills, some bulbs were half eaten and the pupa were long gone. The damaged scales were just begining to calous (if that is the right word?)

 Crikey, Peter, that's not good news.

By the way.... I think the word you want is "callus" 

[PeterT]

It was in a field, - there are plenty more....
thanks for the spelling correction Maggie 

[mark smyth]

Plenty more flies or damaged bulbs?

This will be the first year my Galanthus have died back naturally. All other years I would have removed the leaves by now to stop the fly laying eggs

[PeterT]

bulbs, but there will be plenty more flies and damaged bulbs too.

[Gerry Webster]

Does the fly have any preference as between Narcissus & Galanthus?

[PeterT]

no just for valuable and solitary bulbs of either. It is also partial to Hippeastrum.

[mark smyth]

Peter are you 100% with your ID of the fly? I would have thought the bad weather in England would be holding them back.

[PeterT]

I know the grainy mush they leave behind and the remains of the bulb scales.

[wooden shoe]

It is indeed true that they prefer the most valuable cultivars. Those plants that do best in your garden, will probably have build up the best protective system for themselves. That's why they do best 
But those that are on the verge of their hardiness zone, have a huge flower or in some other way spends it's energy on other things than a protective system will be the most susceptible for intruders. So the slow increasers (valuable!) will have the most problems with Narcissus fly, at least that's what I found out.
In my case it's Hymenocallis festalis, which I used to plant outside during summer, which suffers the most.

[mark smyth]

They have arrived here and despite masses off daffs outside the gate they choose my garden grrrr