Kitchen Garden Forum

This is my second year of comfrey water production, one dustbin and one plastic ex-chemical container about twice the size of a dustbin with an onion sack full of leaves in each. This not only stinks but I always get maggots (With tails) swimming in the juice for ages, I don't understand why they don't drown.

I water everything with this stuff and my plantation keeps me in juice all year round but I've never seen maggots in the soil where I poured this disgusting nutritious liquid, just in the water.

I have never regarded maggots as aquatic-life, does anyone know if I should be concerned ?

Ok, if I'm concerned about the maggots I could put a netting cover over the containers. I'm not altogether sure I need to be concerned because I don't get maggots in the soil.

What do you think ?

Evening Richard, are you sure they are not Gnat/Midge larvae?

We get those too Richard, as OH says, I think they are larvae of some kind, although i dread to think of what, as they are quite gruesome looking.

I don't know what they are, they look about the same size as a maggot but they have a little tail and they swim.

What I have seen lots of are a type of fly on the comfrey leaf onion sack that look like the carrot fly, a sort of ginger colour.

We have a lot of mosquito larvae here look similar

Could they be these....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat-tailed_maggot

That is exactly what they are and here are the photos I took just before I read your post, thanks for tracking it down.

Horrible.

Reading the link, i would be very careful i didn't sit on any.....

I'll be wearing chainsaw pants.

agreed, I felt a bit queasy after reading the link.....

Not the thing to have swimming in your pool

I knew this fly was a ginger. I have nothing against ginger but just wish this little bugger wouldn't lay it's eggs in my comfrey containers. As if the comfrey water isn't disgusting enough.

Do you know, if I don't wear rubber gloves to handle the watering can I use to get the juice out I can't wash the stink of my hands for ages.

Maybe RP's has a soap that will do the trick, so far, beer and naked ladies didn't help.

oh dear Richard! you'll need the kitchen garden bar, it is made with coffee and coffee is a natural deodoriser. it also has tea tree oil, which would help! I am always very careful with the comfrey water for that exact reason, the idea of getting some on me makes me a little queasy! we have a tap on our drum, so it makes it a little less fussy.