Kitchen Garden Forum

This year I set parsnip seeds from someone elses plants from the year before. I was so pleased nearly 100% germination.So I let some of last years parsnips grow on hopefully and produce seeds. Looked the other day and an awfull wiggly black wormy thing came out of most of them. Please what are they and will it affect the plant, or what can I do.( The ones I could get hold of I stamped on.

Hi Good Gourd,

Can you supply a bit more information about them please. Did they have legs? How big were they? What part of the parsnip were they living in?

Hi PJ, Thank you for your reply. The wigglies were black and grey (I think) like a very fast catapiller, and I found them in uncurled flowers. Bearing in mind that the plants are last years self sets that I am growing for seed. Look forward to your reply.
Good Gourd.

Hi Good Gourd,

Sounds a lot like Ladybird larva. Here is a link to another post on this forum. About half way down is a photo of one. They live on greenfly and blackfly and should be welcome anywhere on the plot.
viewtopic.php?t=5508&start=15

In general, if it moves fast it's beneficial. They move fast to catch things that move, e.g. aphids. The slow ones, like aphids or chafer grubs, are slow because they don't have to move fast to catch what they eat, i.e.your static veg.

mike

However, Ladybird lavae are very slow...

P.J Thats the one, thank you. I really am thick at times good job I did`nt spray them. Perhaps if I put my glasses on I would have done better.

Hi Good Gourd,

I'm glad we got to the bottom of that one
As Mike said earlier, The fast ones are usually the goodies. Except on Chantal's plot