What's eating my cipollini onion?

Cipollini onions share Allium pest pressure with other onions. Onion fly maggots destroy bulbs from below ground; thrips rasp foliage leaving silver streaking; leek moth tunnels into leaves and bulbs. Allium leaf miner is an increasing UK problem. Slugs attack young sets. Onion white rot is devastating but is a pathogen, not a pest.

Larvae eat into the bulb and roots causing yellowing, wilting, and collapsed plants; worst in early summer Row cover from planting to exclude egg-laying adults; avoid planting near previous allium sites; destroy affected bulbs

Silver-white flecking and streaking on leaves; severe infestations distort foliage and reduce bulb size Keep plants well-watered (thrips prefer dry conditions); insecticidal soap; blue sticky traps for monitoring

White stippling dots on leaves followed by puparia at leaf bases; tunnelling into bulbs allows rot entry Fine-mesh row cover during adult flight periods (March–April and October–November in UK); remove and bin affected plants