Cabbage white butterfly - deter them?

lbt_2

Hi

I have some sprouts growing but they are a real target for cabbage white butterflies, and there are loads (not exaggerating) of caterpillars on them.

What can I do to deter them? They are eating my sprouts :mad:

I picked off the caterpillars (with the help of my two little ones) then hosed each leaf down, and later on I will spray each leaf with a mixture of water and washing up liquid. Is this all I can do? Will it make any difference?

The only other thing I could think of doing is to put a net curtain over the top to stop the butterflies from laying their eggs there in the first place.

Are there any experts out there that can help please??

misskool

You will have to net them. And inspect daily for any that you've missed. I've got some really lovely lace patterns on my chinese cabbages caused by a few that i missed when planting in.

jjjme

I have the same exact problem. In the 5 years of living on the coast here in East Kent I have NEVER seen so many cabbage whites as I have this year now that I'm growing red cabbages. In fact I'm in the process of constructing a cover out of mosquito mesh panels from an old gazebo because I'm fed up with the amount of eggs (and now caterpillars)

I'd also be interested to know whether soapy water is suitable for use on them as I really don't know what else to do!

millie

I have to go round mine daily and removing catterpillars, they are really hard to find as they are so small because of the frequency of my finding them. There are also clusters of what look like tiny yellow eggs that appear on a daily basis which I scape off, I presume they are butterfly eggs. As my sprouts are spread around the garden in between the flowers and other plants it is impossible to net them. I am on holiday next week and I won't be able to do my daily searches so I dread to think what they will be like when I return probably look like lace work.

Zazen999

lbt wrote: »

I picked off the caterpillars (with the help of my two little ones) then hosed each leaf down, and later on I will spray each leaf with a mixture of water and washing up liquid. Is this all I can do? Will it make any difference?

Washing up liquid and water is used for greenfly; it won't make a blind bit of difference to a cabbage white.

Pick off all the caterpillars, squish any eggs and net them. It's the only way.

scbk

My turnip has been ravaged by them, have picked off and killed about 180 caterpillars in only a few days.
It's just turned dark so the slugs will be out in a minute to take over the night shift :rolleyes:

A_Star

I've read that wrapping fleece around the bottom of the plant can stop them laying their eggs but I haven't tried it yet.

Zazen999

A_Star wrote: »

I've read that wrapping fleece around the bottom of the plant can stop them laying their eggs but I haven't tried it yet.

That works for cabbage Root fly; not cabbage white butterfly.

Dave101t

the standard greenfly spray also kills caterpillars.

Mooksville

We had our brassicas under fleece initially and now under plastic netting (fit over a frame about 8m x 2m, 1m high).

I spent the weekend underneath this frame, and my legs and back can confirm that even with fleece and net, a few cabbage-whites get in. They can fly in when you open it up to water, little ones can squeeze through the net.

The cheekiest ones wait until the cabbage leaves grow so large that they touch the net, they then simply lay their eggs on the leaf through the netting.

Doesn't help the OP with this crop, but for future crops I'd recommend having them under net/fleece from the first minute they go outside...but be prepared to still be vigilant!

lbt_2

Thanks everyone - I really appreciate your help. At the moment I have a sarong over the top of them secured by clothes pegs. I will have to construct a proper net over the weekend.

This is my first year of growing sprouts, but at least I will know for next year and will be prepared for them, keeping my sprouts well covered from day one!!!