catterpillars eating sprouts HELP?

spider125

any ideas on how to get rid of catterpillars eating my beloved sprouts?? it doesnt help as I have a real fear of them( dont laugh it stems from childhood!!!):o so far I am spraying them with soapy water but they are munching away any help advice please

FOURCANDLES_2

Not wishing to jump on your thread but I am having the same trouble,sprouts,broki,cauliflour all being munched on by caterpillars etc do not think I will bother with them nest year, Funny but they have not touched the cabbage,purple cabbage, french beans,leeks,WHY??? . I have done the soapy water,and picked off and crushed the eggs to no avail and as we have a very large veg garden all is time consuming.

A._Badger

Beyond what you have already done, there are really only two courses of action and you need to apply them both.

The first is to spray with a pesticide approved for use on vegetable crops. Soapy water is a complete waste of time on caterpillars, in my experience, and, while I suppose picking them off works if you have all day, you always seem to miss a few.

In any case, if you have tried those two methods, a pesticide is all that's left to you.

Once you've eradicated the pests, it is vital to keep the butterflies that lay the eggs away from your crops and the only way to do that is with a barrier - either fleece or netting. They may not have attacked your cabbages etc yet but they will!

Hope that helps.

[Deleted User]

put the barrier in place as soon as you plant out. Today I saw a very badly eaten lot of brassicas under environmesh and it was pretty obvious that the mesh had been put on too late, so trapping the caterpillars inside

A._Badger

kittie wrote: »

put the barrier in place as soon as you plant out. Today I saw a very badly eaten lot of brassicas under environmesh and it was pretty obvious that the mesh had been put on too late, so trapping the caterpillars inside

That's a good point. And also make sure you don't leave even the smallest entry point. I did, accidentally, late last week and yesterday got home to find a well-munched kale plant.

BOGOF_Queen

Enviromesh is brilliant for stopping the Cabbage White butterflies from laying their eggs on brassica plants - but you MUST cover the plants as soon as you have planted them and ensure that there is no way the butterflies can get under and do any damage. I have 4 Sprouting Broccoli plants that are not under the mesh and they are being decimated - however I have some more of them along with Curly Kale/Brussels/Black Cabbage and they are still looking pristine. Once the colder weather comes, and not much chance of any eggs that may be laid turning into catterpillars, I will remove the mesh so that it is easy to harvest the crop. I bought my mesh last year for about £30 - have a biggish vege plot - and I think it was money well spent.

Sunnyday

The horrible things have eaten my chard leaves this year :mad:

We are still eating the stalks though

I`ve recently been given one of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mosquito-Coverage-Kingsize-Lightweight-Irritation/dp/B002X9A3QM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1282509674&sr=8-3 and next year i shall be hanging it from the washing line which runs over one of my raised beds and growing the brassicas in there

SD

miltonskeen

A money saving tip is pour used washing up liquid contaminated water on the effected plants.

Did the trick with my cabbage and cost nothing!

jollyanna

My brassicas look like lace curtains as well. Anyone know if there is a chance of recovery or should I pull them all out ?