how do you protect cabbage from butterflies

How to prevent cabbage white butterflies from moving in

• A floating row cover can prevent cabbage moths from accessing leaves on which to lay eggs, thus breaking the cycle. ...
• Consider planting some cabbage moth trap plants to draw the cabbage worms away from your vegetable garden. ...
• Interplanting brassicas with dill and lavender can deter cabbage butterflies. ...
• Give plants a good dusting of diatomaceous earth on a regular basis. ...

Full Answer

How do you get rid of white butterflies on cabbage?

There are 6 main ways to keep the cabbage white away from your cabbages and save your precious veggies from destruction. Butterfly netting. Protect your brassicas with a butterfly netting, completely denying access to the butterfly which seeks to lay its eggs on your plants. Fleece cover.

Do cabbage white butterflies lay eggs in plastic?

These decoy butterflies, it is said, make it less likely that cabbage white butterflies will lay eggs close by as they believe that the area is already occupied. People make pretend cabbage white butterflies out of white paper, white fabric or white plastic (cut from old milk containers, for example).

Are cabbage white butterfly caterpillars beneficial?

Remember, both types of cabbage white butterfly present in the UK, Pieris brassicae (the large white) and Pieris rapae (the small white) lay eggs that become voracious caterpillars. But both can also be beneficial in your garden.

How do you get rid of cabbage moths?

Additional Organic Control for Cabbage Moths. It is believed that growing cabbage with red or white clover results in fewer cabbage white butterflies and moths in part to camouflage and predators. Cabbage moth caterpillars can also be averted by surrounding beds with strongly perfumed herbs, like lavender, or interplanting with other crops.

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How do I stop butterflies eating my cabbage?

Netting is the most effective way of keeping the butterflies away from brassica foliage, although small whites seem to be able to do a dam buster act and drop their eggs from a height with some success. Harrods Horticultural sell soft mesh butterfly netting that's perfect at keeping them away.

How do you control a cabbage white butterfly caterpillar?

1:165:50Controlling Cabbage White Butterfly Caterpillar With Organic Bt SprayYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIn you can also crawl through your patch and remove them by hand by squishing them or better yetMoreIn you can also crawl through your patch and remove them by hand by squishing them or better yet feeding them to your chickens or fish if you have an aquaculture system.

Do butterflies eat cabbage?

Yes, because the tiny offspring of these butterflies are called cabbage white caterpillars. They like to feed on cabbage leaves, along with the leaves of all vegetables in the Brassicaceae (or Mustard) family, like broccoli, cauliflower, kale and Brussels sprouts.

How do you protect cabbage?

The obvious choice is to net the crop. I use enviromesh or veggiemesh draped over beds of brassicas. It is so finely woven that it keeps out both cabbage white butterflies and pigeons. I drape the netting over a few hazel sticks and tamp it down with stones or bricks.

How do you repel butterflies?

companion planting plants near or among brassicas and which repel the butterfly. These include aromatic herbs (lemon balm, sage, oregano, borage, hyssop, dill, rosemary) and/or high blossom flowers (tall marigold, calendula) companion planting plants at a distance and which attract the moths.

What keeps cabbage moths away?

For example, brassica companion plants like thyme, dill, oregano, lavender, onions, garlic, and marigolds are said to deter cabbage moths.

How do I keep white butterflies off my plants?

benefit when planted with sage, rosemary, hyssop, thyme, dill, mint or chamomile, as all or any of these help deter the famously troublesome white butterfly. Nasturtiums, except the yellow flowering one, are a deterrent to aphids. Celery planted with cauliflower will keep away the white butterfly.

What is eating my cabbage hearts?

Caterpillars of cabbage moth and small white butterfly can be more damaging as they bore into the hearts of cabbages, whereas the yellow and black caterpillars of the large cabbage white stay mostly on outer leaves. Green veined white caterpillars are more commonly found on wild hosts than in gardens.

What time of year do cabbage white butterflies lay eggs?

Cabbage White Butterflies will lay eggs either twice or three times a year if the weather is favourable, with the last egg laying of the year being in late August to September.

What can I spray on my cabbage plants to keep bugs off?

Spraying with Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki) every 1 to 2 weeks will also help control cabbage family pests. Sevin also is effective. And, the few pests that remain on the vegetables can be washed out after harvest using water and a small amount of detergent or other surfactant.

What is eating holes in my cabbage leaves?

These small holes are telltale signs of the cabbage worm. Actually, the are several insects that cause this type of damage and are generally referred to as 'cabbage worms'. This includes the imported cabbage worm, the diamondback caterpillar and cabbage looper.

Do cabbages need netting?

Cabbage plants are easy to care for but watch out for pigeons and the caterpillars of small and large white butterflies, known as 'cabbage whites'. Cover over your plants with a fine mesh netting to deter caterpillars, and string up some old CDs to deter birds.

How do I get rid of cabbage caterpillars?

1:218:53How to remove Cabbage Caterpillars. - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipNow you got Morehead City eggs look rub them off see being vigilant and a little bit more time on myMoreNow you got Morehead City eggs look rub them off see being vigilant and a little bit more time on my hands now so I'm going to just go in and take. It rub the eggs off things like that.

How do I get rid of white caterpillars?

Here are some methods:Pluck the caterpillars off your plants and drop them into a bucket of soapy water. ... Place cardboard or tin foil at the base of your plants to repel caterpillars. ... Purchase beneficial insects. ... Use a microbial insecticide that won't hurt bees, beneficial insects, or wildlife.

How do you keep white butterflies away?

Scatter eggshells around the garden… I get confused and lay my eggs on them! Cut up some old with plastic bags, and tie small “bow ties” to the top of thin bamboo stakes. A few of these around the garden look just like Cabbage White Butterflies, and will scare us off!

Do birds eat cabbage white caterpillars?

There are natural predators for the cabbage white caterpillar. Most birds do not find them palatable, but house sparrows, goldfinches, and skylarks will eat them.

About Cabbage White Butterflies

If you’ve ever tried to grow members of the cabbage family ( Brassicaceae or Cruciferae ), you’ve undoubtedly come across these little jerks before.

How to Identify Cabbage White Butterfly Infestation

Well, this one is fairly self-explanatory: if you see these insects flitting around your plants, they’re undoubtedly laying eggs on them. And if you suddenly see a bunch of gaping holes all over the plants’ leaves, they’ve not only already laid eggs—they’ve hatched.

Row Covers

I didn’t start using row covers until this year, and so help me, I wish I had started years ago. I’ve lost countless plants to cabbage white butterflies, and all that loss could have been avoided.

Trap Crops

Have you ever managed to get a toy away from a toddler by the old bait-and-switch method? Think of a trap crop the same way. They keep cabbage white butterflies occupied and away from your prized vegetables.

Added Bonus: Beneficial Predatory Insects

If you’d like to increase your chances of getting rid of cabbage white butterflies, try attracting some beneficial insects.

Enjoy Your Vegetables!

If you employ all of these methods diligently, you should be able to save your beautiful brassicas. Just make sure to check your plants regularly to make sure no stray insects have managed to slip in.

The Cabbage White butterfly

The scourge of vegetable gardeners is without doubt the ‘Large White’ butterfly ( Pieris brassicae ). This is often confused with the ‘Small White; butterfly which in turn is often referred to as the Cabbage Moth – just to keep things interesting!

How To Protect Your Brassicas

With regards to this ‘cabbage predator’ then there is no doubt in my mind that prevention is far more effective than the cure. And the best way to protect your crops is to prevent the butterfly from landing on them and laying their eggs in the first place

Organic Insect Sprays

Organic sprays play a major role in companion planting and organic planting ventures. You can use a variety of home-made sprays that will help to keep a variety of insects at bay.

Most Common Cabbageworm Pests

The Imported cabbageworm (the larval form of the Cabbage White butterfly having white wings with one or two black spots per wing) is velvety green with a narrow, light yellow stripe down the middle of its back. These worms tend to feed closer to the center of the plant.

Cabbageworm Control

While successful control of cabbageworms depends on proper identification, timing of applications and suitable insecticide coverage, most are treated much the same. Start checking for cabbageworms in early spring or as soon as you see adult cabbageworm butterflies or cabbage moths flying around the garden.

Additional Organic Control for Cabbage Moths

It is believed that growing cabbage with red or white clover results in fewer cabbage white butterflies and moths in part to camouflage and predators.

Large and Small Cabbage White Butterflies

It turns out that the Small Cabbage White butterfly, while undoubtedly a pest, is nothing compared to its big brother, the unimaginatively-named Large Cabbage White. The two are very similar, but the caterpillars are distinct – the Small Whites are an unassuming pale green colour, while the Large White larvae sport a hairy black and yellow jacket.

Protecting Against Cabbage Whites

So how do we stop them from destroying our crops? Well, prevention is always better than cure, so the first step is to invest in some good, butterfly-proof netting. I've draped mine over hoops to make it easy to throw it back for weeding and harvesting.

Cabbage White Predators

As any organic gardener knows, encouraging natural predators is a great way to control pest populations (and saves you having to perform grisly executions personally). Cabbage white larvae have a trick up their sleeves though – they accumulate mustard oil in their bodies from the food plant, which makes them unpalatable to most predators.

Companion Planting For Brassicas to Tackle the Problem

Choosing the right companion plants to grow alongside brassicas involves thinking about plants that will disguise the scent of the brassicas and make it less likely that these butterflies will find them and lay eggs on them.

Distracting Cabbage White Butterflies with Trap Crops

It is also a good idea to think not just about companion plants for brassicas, but also plants to place elsewhere in your garden which attract cabbage whites and act as sacrificial trap crops.

Attracting Beneficial Wildlife to Keep the Garden Ecosystem in Balance

Remember, the plants you choose for your garden and the habitats you create are key to pest control in an organic garden.

Decoy Butterflies

While we are not entirely convinced by the efficacy of this strategy, some gardeners swear that you can keep your plants safe from cabbage whites by adding decoy butterflies.

Physical Barriers

Even when you adopt some or all of the strategies above, the only way to be absolutely certain that you won’t lose your brassica crop to cabbage white butterflies is to place physical barriers over the crop.

Recognising the real villain - the large cabbage white

The worst pest of all is the large cabbage white butterfly ( Pieris brassicae ), because the females lay clusters of 30 - 50 bright-yellow eggs end on end, rather like a series of small rugby balls. The eggs are always on the undersides of the foliage and quite easy to see.

A lesser threat, the small cabbage white butterfly

The small cabbage white ( Pieris rapae) looks like a smaller version of the large white, but it’s less devastating because the female butterflies lay their pale greenish yellow eggs singly. However, your lone green caterpillar then heads straight into the middle of a cabbage where it does rather a lot of damage and leaves its calling card.

Cabbage white predators

You have to manage cabbage white butterflies yourself because they do not have many predators. Nothing much eats them because as the caterpillars reach full size their bodies fill with mustard oil they’ve ingested from the brassicas they taste very unpalatable to predators.

Spraying cabbage white butterflies

Spray young caterpillars as they hatch with Bacillus thuringiensis, a naturally occurring bacterium found in the soil. This is toxic to a range of insect species particularly caterpillars, cabbage looper and tomato hornworm, but allegedly is harmless to birds, fish, mammals and gardeners.

Netting against cabbage white butterflies

Netting is the most effective way of keeping the butterflies away from brassica foliage, although small whites seem to be able to do a dam buster act and drop their eggs from a height with some success. Harrods Horticultural sell soft mesh butterfly netting that’s perfect at keeping them away.

Collecting caterpillars up

Often the last resort, but it does work. Be gentle, if the caterpillars suspect they’re under attack they drop to the ground.

Using decoy plants

Cabbage whites often lay their eggs on spring and summer flowering plants when there are no cabbages about. The following members of the brassica family act as an early-warning system.

Learn how to identify a cabbage white butterfly. Discover what they eat, where they live and how to save your veggies from their caterpillars

Learn how to identify a cabbage white butterfly. Discover what they eat, where they live and how to save your veggies from their caterpillars.

What Markings Do Cabbage White Butterflies Have?

Adult cabbage white butterflies have a wingspan of 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 inches. The upperside of wings are white, hence the name. The forewings have one dark spot on males and two on females, as well as charcoal-colored tips.

Where Can I Find Cabbage White Butterflies?

Cabbage white butterflies are native to Eurasia. They have been introduced to southern Canada and most of the U.S. and are common in most open areas, like road sides and gardens. To attract them, try planting these long-blooming flowers that hummingbirds also love.

What Do Cabbage White Caterpillars Look Like?

The caterpillars are green with a faint yellow line along the top of their bodies. Look closely and you might see fine white hairlike structures sticking up­—they release chemicals and ward off ant attacks.

What Do the Caterpillars Eat?

Cabbage white caterpillars are known to chew on members of the cabbage family, including broccoli and mustard plants. Females lay one egg that changes color from white to yellow under plant leaves. The caterpillars then hatch and feast on the plants.

How Can I Protect my Plants From Cabbage White Caterpillars?

If you’re concerned about cabbage white caterpillars on your plants, add a floating row cover to plots during planting for protection. Skip the pesticides, as they can be harmful to other helpful bugs.