What's eating my curly parsley?

Curly parsley shares the same Apiaceae pest complex as flat-leaf parsley: aphids, carrot fly larvae in roots, celery fly blotch miners in leaves, and slugs attacking seedlings. Aphids colonising young growth are the most frequent nuisance in gardens, while carrot fly poses the bigger risk in beds near carrots or celery.

Soft pale-green colonies on shoot tips and leaf undersides cause curling, yellowing growth and sticky honeydew that encourages sooty mould. Knock off with water; apply insecticidal soap or neem oil. Encourage hoverflies and ladybirds.

Irregular holes eaten from leaf margins and centres, mostly on young seedlings and fresh new growth; slime trails visible. Use wildlife-friendly ferrous phosphate pellets, copper tape, or set beer traps around seedlings. Water in the morning so soil dries before evening.

Root-feeding larvae leave rusty tunnels; foliage yellows and wilts; particularly damaging in beds adjacent to carrots. Cover with fine insect mesh from sowing to harvest. Rotate beds each year. Avoid thinning during egg-laying periods (late spring, late summer).

Larvae mine inside leaves, creating pale blistered blotches that dry brown and papery, weakening the plant. Remove affected leaves. Use insect-proof netting as a barrier. Destroy infested material rather than composting it.