Rust Fly - Loxocera cylindrica
Diptera Family Psilidae. NOTE: This is NOT a carrot rust fly.
Insecta (Insects) » Pterygota (Winged Insects) » Diptera (Flies) » Acalyptratae » Psilidae (Rust Flies) » Loxocera
Live adult rust flies photographed at Bridgeton, Missouri, May 23, 2006

Certain conditions favor rust fly infestations. In commercial plantings many of these conditions can be avoided. Such conditions include:

A previous history of rust fly infestations.
Consecutive annual plantings of carrots.
Soils with high organic matter content.
Abundant carrot rust fly weed hosts in area.
Fields surrounded by brush and woods.
Fields adjacent to homes and other buildings.

Although avoiding such practices will help, no "magic" cures exist. By the very nature of home garden plantings and the way they are managed, most of these conditions would be impossible to avoid. Thus home gardens are normally vulnerable to rust fly build-up.