>Unfortunately these flies of the genus Sciara
>ssp. or Lycosia ssp. (I believe in English they are called sciarid flies,
>aren't they?) produce larvae which live in moist soil, attacking the roots of
>plants. They also can kill small seedlings or small plants out of leave
>cuttings
>if there are several larvae attacking the plant.
There are larvae of different sciarid flies species (including also
Bradysia paupera, Licoriella sp.) which feed from the tender roots of the
cultivated plants. This is one of the most frequent causes why CP
seedlings and young plants suddenly may perish. By far the best means to
kill sciarid flies larvae is the application of Bacillus thuringiensis ssp.
israelensis solution. This bacillus, sprayed into the plant substrate,
destroys the intestine of the larva and is non-toxic for all plants,
including Pings and other CP. If you cant get it in Germany here's the
address of the Swiss provider: The solution is available under the label
'Teknar' at Andermatt Biocontrol Ltd., Unterdorf, CH-6146 Grossdietwil,
Switzerland. Phone +41 63 592 840; Fax: +41 63 592 123. 100 ml (=20
Liters spray solution) cost about 20 DM plus postage.
Juerg
___________________________________________________
Juerg Steiger, Institut fuer Aus-, Weiter- und Fortbildung IAWF
University of Bern, Inselspital 37a, CH-3010 Bern, Switzerland
Office: +41 31 632 9887 Fax: +41 31 632 9871