What is infesting my eggplant and how to treat?

Rahman

Hi,

All off my eggplants fruits have small hole in them. Inside usually dark with some maggot like things. I can't find the root cause of this.

There is nothing wrong with the plants.

Can anyone tell me what's causing this and how can I treat them?

Thanks 

 

JacobZ

Hi @Rahman,

The most likely cause of the issues you are experiencing is fruit flies. They lay eggs under the skin of the fruit, and when the larvae hatch, they tunnel through the flesh, causing internal decay.

The first step in managing the problem is to remove and destroy all affected fruit immediately. Do not compost them, as the larvae will continue to develop.

To reduce the fruit fly population, set up fruit fly traps around your garden. 

Another highly effective strategy is to physically protect your eggplants using netting. This prevents flies from accessing the fruit in the first place.

You can also use neem oil to deter fruit flies, though this won’t kill larvae already inside the fruit.

A combination of these approaches will help deal with the current issue and prevent further occurrences.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Jacob