Promoting natural enemies
The predatory fly needs high organic matter soil for its soil-borne maggots to breed. Farmers can build organic matter in soil by using animal manure as a fertiliser source and applying compost.
Make sure that there are flowering plants near potato crops because parasitic wasps need nectar from flowers before they can mate and lay eggs.
Only spray for potato leafminer fly maggots if they are present above the spray threshold for this pest.
Acknowledgment
Funding for this work to support Indonesian potato farmers and WA seed potato exports was provided by ACIAR (the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research) and the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia.