Best Practices for Mushroom Production and Marketing

                          Integrated Pest Management

   Cecid Flies

Among other types of flies that can be encountered in mushroom houses, the most potentially damaging is the cecid fly. Cecid larvae are legless maggots, bluntly pointed at both ends. The head and the tail are not easily distinguished, except by the direction of travel.

The small, sticky larvae are spread by workers and on tools and equipment. Initial entry to the growing room maybe by transport of infested peat or substrate, movement with personnel, or through the rare flying adult. Small infestations may not be readily apparent at first. The larvae feed on the mycelium as well as on the stipe and gills of mature mushrooms. If large populations develop, the larvae may mass together on the floor and disperse in large groups. Larvae also can be found on mature mushroom caps packed for market. This species has the potential to significantly reduce yield when it becomes established on a farm.