Small White butterfly (Latin name – Pieris rapae) have attacked the young swede plants. The Small White caterpillars have eaten the young leaves and left the growing swedes looking ragged.
damaged-swede
There are two types of cabbage white:
* the Large White butterfly – Pieris brassicae
* the Small White butterfly – Pieris rapae.
We were so busy watching out for the Large White on the sprouts that we did not notice the Small White butterfly attack the Swedes!
Watch out for the eggs of the Large White or Cabbage White (Latin Name – Pieris brassicae) butterfly. The eggs are laid on the underside of brassica leaves. So check your cabbage, sprouts, broccoli etc. regularly. The female butterfly lays batches of 20 to 100 yellow eggs underneath the leaves of the plants.
cabbage-white-eggs
If seen the eggs should be removed. Soapy water will help unglue the cabbage white eggs from the leaf.
Cabbage White Caterpillars
Cabbage White Caterpillars can devastate brassicas if they are not picked off or
sprayed.
broccoli-eaten-by-caterpillars
Enviromesh netting has had a huge impact on vegetable gardening. Enviromesh Netting
guarantees gardeners quality vegetables. Return on effort is assured.
Gone are the days of caterpillar infested, dirty, distorted crops which
children dare not eat, for fear of finding a creepy crawly in their dinner.
Enviromesh prevents damage from:
* carrot fly
* aphids
* cabbage root fly
* cabbage white butterfly
* caterpillars
* birds
* rabbits
* deer
* wind
* hail
enviromesh-over-brassica
The enviromesh netting acts as a barrier:
* The holes in netting are small enough to keep the carrot flies and
other insects out.
* Rain can pass though the netting.
* Enviromesh can be watered through.
enviromesh-on-cabbage
Enviromesh netting is a form of biological pest control.
* No need to spray crops with chemicals as the netting keeps the
pest out.
Enviromesh Netting for the Vegetable Garden can be purchased from LBS
and costs £13.96 for 2.1m x 4.5m of enviromesh.
Prevention and control of the Cabbage White Butterfly is a concern of
all vegetable gardeners. The first Cabbage White Butterfly of the year
was spotted in the vegetable garden today.
There are two types of cabbage white:
* the Large White butterfly – Pieris brassicae
* the Small White butterfly – Pieris rapae.
The cabbage white butterflies lay clusters of yellow eggs
cabbage-white-eggs
on the leaves of brassicas (e.g. cabbage, sprouts, cauliflowers, turnips
and swedes).
The eggs hatch out into green caterpillars, which eat the leaves so that
large holes are seen. They also tunnel into the hearts of the
vegetables, spoiling them and causing them to rot. The caterpillars
excrete small brown or green granular deposits as they eat the leaves.
Prevention:
* inspect daily & remove any eggs & caterpillars
* cover brassicas with insect proof netting
* 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
The Cabbage White Butterfly requires constant attention , with daily
checks to make sure the vegetables are not being eaten by the cabbage
white caterpillars.
In spite of all efforts to keep the cabbage white butterflies off the brassicas some always get through.
Watch out for the tiny, green caterpillars on the underside of the
brassica leaves.
cabbage-white-caterpillars
The eggs and tiny caterpillars should be picked off the leaves as soon as they
are seen, before they grow into bigger caterpillars.
caterpillar-of-cabbage-white
Powered by WordPress
