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I got excited about the green growth on our parsnips, and pulled one up, only to find some little critters climbing around the top of them. I have put a link below as i couldn't make the picture small enough to put on here.

Can anyone identify them? I'm worried they are carrot fly larvae! Can we still eat the parsnips if they are and do i have to pull the whole lot to see if they have ben attacked!?

www.vegmonkey.co.uk

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Vegmonkey and the Mrs. - vegetable gardening in a small space in Cheltenham at www.vegmonkey.co.uk

Looks like an aphid vegmonkey. The little blighters get everywhere. I have however been known to be wrong. If they are aphids they may not do any serious damage but you could water with some soapy liquid to try and deter them.

It's a bit early to be digging your parsnips up. If you find a few tunnels in them or the carrots when you do so just cut the offending bits out.

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Bright Blessings
Earthbabe
If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.

Hi Vegmonkey, I agree with Earthbabe, they look like aphids, not as bad as carrot fly but they might eat the leaves off your parsnips so you could spray them with an organic bug spray if there are a lot of them.

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Into every life a little rain must fall.

Thanks for the help, problem is i only spotted them when i got eager and pulled up the plant. Am trying to do this organically!

Might just leave them til oct ish, and see what i have left! If anything...

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Vegmonkey and the Mrs. - vegetable gardening in a small space in Cheltenham at www.vegmonkey.co.uk