Sciarid life cycle
- Adult flies may be present on mushroom production
sites throughout the year
but are most numerous during
May - November.
- On average, a mated female can lay 150-170 white, oval
eggs singly, or in groups within the growing substrate. Depending on temperature, these eggs will hatch
within three to four days to produce larvae.
- The larvae feed on developing
mycelium burrow into pinheads and small buttons forming a sponge-like mass.
- Mature
larvae are approximately 8.0 mm in length and can remove mycelial attachments at the base of the stalk
and in severe infestations may enter stalks and caps.
- Sciarid infestations in Phase
I compost should be eliminated by efficient pasteurisation.
- Subsequent
infestations are caused by adult females, which are attracted to the fermentation odours produced during
compost cool-down.
- Environmental conditions during the spawn-running
period facilitate the completion of a generation of sciarids within 2-3 weeks.
