What's eating my 'music' hardneck garlic?

'Music' hardneck garlic is most threatened by onion thrips and allium leaf miner. Bulb mites can also colonize stored or stressed bulbs. The strong sulfur compounds deter most mammals. Rotate beds every 3–4 years and use insect-proof mesh to prevent adult fly and moth egg-laying on foliage.

Silvery streaking and stippling on strap leaves; heavy infestations stunt plants and reduce bulb size. Reflective mulch deters adults. Apply insecticidal soap or spinosad; repeat every 7–10 days. Remove crop debris after harvest to reduce overwintering populations.

Distinctive white puncture rows on leaves followed by maggot tunneling in stems; secondary rot sets in. Erect fine mesh barriers before adult flight periods in early spring and autumn. Burn or bag infested material. No effective chemical control once larvae are inside plant tissue.

Bulbs develop soft, mushy patches; roots are hollowed; damage often first noticed at harvest. Plant only firm, healthy seed cloves. Avoid waterlogged soil; improve drainage. Destroy affected bulbs. Long crop rotations (4+ years) suppress mite buildup.