Cabbage White Butterflies
Brassicas need protection before the cabbage white butterflies lay eggs, which result in caterpillars which eat the greens and make a real mess of them.
To prevent damage by cabbage whites:
- inspect daily & remove any eggs & caterpillars
- cover brassicas with insect proof netting
- put empty eggshells on sticks - the butterflies mistake them for other butterflies, so move on to fresh ground
- avoid planting colourful plants near the brassicas which will attract butterflies
- encourage birds which will eat the caterpillars by putting out bird feed
- wash infected plants with soapy water
TopVeg has further articles on cabbage white butterfly problems at:
- cabbage white butterflies
- eggs of cabbage white butterflies
- how to protect brassicas from cabbage white butterflies
- insect netting - enviromesh
Click this link for more information on the Collins book @Pests, Diseases and Disorders of Garden plants’:
Cabbage white butterflies are a real threat to brassica plants and require constant effort to keep them off.
Wow! Great tips. I’ve had years where I didn’t keep on top of the insect prevention and they are awful.
When I was home more often I used a butterfly net to catch them. I’ve lost a lot of broccoli since then
I’ll use your tips. I have some small broccolis to transplant now. I’m still seeing the cabbage moth here so I’ll cover them.
Comment by Lynn - August 8, 2008 7:41 pm
[…] your brassicas. Apparently the Cabbage White thinks it is a competing butterfly, and stays away. Top Veg Blog Archive Cabbage White Butterflies __________________ ~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea […]
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