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Cabbages Savaged By Caterpillars - OK to Compost ?????

DSmiffy
DSmiffy Posts: 791 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Combo Breaker
in Old style MoneySaving
All my cabbages have been overtaken by caterpillars and completely ruined. Is it ok to put these on the compost with the caterpillars still on, or do I need to destroy them? Can anyone help please, thanks.

Comments

  • Curry_Queen
    Curry_Queen Posts: 5,589 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I'm guessing it's small white cabbage caterpillars you've got and the problem is that at this time of year these will be second generation caterpillars which will go into chrysalis over winter and emerge next Spring as beautiful little butterflys ;)

    Obviously this is going to perpetuate the problem if you're planning to grow crops next year, unless you net them early to stop the butterflys getting onto them to lay eggs. They'll be hatching around March/April time. I guess it's up to you whether you want to kill them or not :confused:
    "An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will"
    ~
    It is that what you do, good or bad,
    will come back to you three times as strong!
  • squeaky
    squeaky Posts: 14,129 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I don't see why not. It's quite likely that caterpillas and other bugs, not to mention slugs and snails, will find your compost heap in any event and process some of the compost into bug waste.

    You'll have just saved the caterpillas the trouble of walking down the garden :)
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  • squeaky
    squeaky Posts: 14,129 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Sorry for crossing C_Q but I'm having lousy connection problems :)
    Hi, I'm a Board Guide on the Old Style and the Consumer Rights boards which means I'm a volunteer to help the boards run smoothly and can move and merge posts there. Board guides are not moderators and don't read every post. If you spot an inappropriate or illegal post then please report it to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. It is not part of my role to deal with reportable posts. Any views are mine and are not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
    Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence.
    DTFAC: Y.T.D = £5.20 Apr £0.50
  • DSmiffy
    DSmiffy Posts: 791 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Combo Breaker
    Curry_Queen wrote:
    I'm guessing it's small white cabbage caterpillars you've got and the problem is that at this time of year these will be second generation caterpillars which will go into chrysalis over winter and emerge next Spring as beautiful little butterflys ;)

    No Curry Queen, they are a bit weird actually. They are green and stripey with a black head. What's really strange is that they munch on the leaves in a line, in perfect formation. Maybe they are the Red Arrows of the caterpillar world !!
  • Curry_Queen
    Curry_Queen Posts: 5,589 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    DSmiffy wrote:
    No Curry Queen, they are a bit weird actually. They are green and stripey with a black head. What's really strange is that they munch on the leaves in a line, in perfect formation. Maybe they are the Red Arrows of the caterpillar world !!


    LOL! :rotfl:

    Hmmmm that's got me stumped, and isn't one I recognise, well not in the UK anyway LOL! Is it hairy or smooth? ... and are the stripes lateral or longitudinal?

    You've got me intrigued now! :think:
    "An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will"
    ~
    It is that what you do, good or bad,
    will come back to you three times as strong!
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