The cabbage white butterfly can cause a lot of damage in the vegetable garden, especially on cabbage plants. This article tells you how to get rid of it quickly and effectively. How to fight the cabbage white butterfly.
In a nutshell
- there are two cabbage white species
- both are pests of cabbage plants
- there are only a few effective home remedies against the caterpillars
- the moths are even more difficult to drive away, prevention is better here
- collecting caterpillars has proven its worth
Identify cabbage white caterpillars
In principle, it is not difficult to recognize the caterpillars of the two cabbage white species:
| Large Cabbage White (Pieris brassicae) | Lesser Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) |
|---|---|
| - about 4 cm long - yellowish-green - black spotted/speckled (older specimens) - yellow top line | - about 3 cm long - dull light green - very fine yellowish top line - short dense hair |
Larger cabbage white (left) and small cabbage white (right) caterpillars
Notice: The moths are not only difficult to distinguish from each other, but also from other species of whites.
Combat with home remedies
When it comes to controlling cabbage white caterpillars, it is difficult to find an effective home remedy. There is nothing that would really drive away the caterpillars once they have started eating. Therefore, the best method is to collect the caterpillars.
Check and collect
To ensure that the infestation does not get too big in the first place, it is very important to regularly check the cabbage plants that are present. However, the following plants must also be checked:
- Nasturtium
- garlic mustard
- mustard or rapeseed plants
The egg clutches of butterflies are often found on the underside of the leaves and are either yellowish-orange or light green. Found caterpillars can simply be collected by hand, they are not dangerous or even poisonous. If you want to be absolutely sure, use gloves. The collected caterpillars should not simply be released elsewhere unless the garden is very large and they will not cause any damage in the new place. Otherwise the problem would only shift.
The greater cabbage white lays its eggs in a colony (left), while the lesser cabbage white lays its eggs individually (right).
Notice: The caterpillars extract pungent mustard oils from their food plants, which they feed on most birds make inedible.
tomato extract
A cold extract from tomato leaves is said to keep the cabbage whites from laying eggs. Tomato leaves between the plants should also help. The caterpillars themselves cannot be combated directly with this household remedy.
application
- 1 liter of water is prepared with 1 kg of tomato plants in a sufficiently large bucket or tub.
- The mixture is left for 24 hours.
- Then pour through a sieve and fill the liquid into a spray bottle.
- Spray cabbage plants thoroughly with the household remedy.
tansy broth
With a broth made from tansy, you not only fight the cabbage white caterpillar, it also helps against other pests, such as lice. How to apply them:
- Collecting tansy: on roadsides, on fallow areas and meadows
- flowering plants particularly effective
- Roughly chop plant parts
- herb can be dried for storage
- Mixing ratio: about 40 g fresh or 3 g dried herb per liter of water
- Leave to soak for 24 hours
- bring to a boil and cook for up to 30 minutes
- let cool down
- pour through sieve
- Pour liquid into watering can
- Water plants and beds with it
Notice: Nettle broth is not suitable as a home remedy for fighting the caterpillars. On the contrary, it can even attract moths.
stone flour
Stone dust should also help to prevent the moths from laying eggs on the affected plants in the first place. Application is very simple and is best done when the plants are still slightly damp, either from rain or dew. In dry weather, it also helps to moisten the plants with water first. The flour is then applied to the top and bottom with a powder atomizer. The application must be repeated regularly, especially after heavy rain.
Prevent
Since the caterpillars are so difficult to get at, it's better to make sure the butterflies don't lay eggs in the first place. For that there are different possibilities.
mixed culture
An important measure is the cultivation of mixed cultures. This ensures that the moths cannot find their host plants so easily. Aromatic herbs or tomato plants smell so strongly that the butterflies are driven away. It also makes sense to follow crop rotation. Cabbage should not be grown after cabbage. At the earliest after 4 years, preferably 5, cabbage can be put back on the same bed. This protects against many diseases and pests.
Create a natural garden
In a natural garden, beneficial insects and pests are balanced. Although few birds eat the cabbage white caterpillar, they do have other natural predators. These include various species of parasitic wasps, but also ground beetles. In this way you create ideal conditions for beneficial insects and lay the foundation for natural control of the cabbage white butterfly.
- Shelter possibilities in piles of brushwood and leaves
- clay flower pots filled with straw
- cairn
- overgrown corners in the garden
nets
Crop protection nets are effective against a large number of pests. They prevent the female insect pests from laying eggs on the host plants in the first place. With cabbage whites, it doesn't even have to be particularly dense meshes. However, it is important that the nets are firmly anchored to the ground.
In order to prevent moths from laying their eggs, you can use larger mesh sizes for nets.
frequently asked Questions
Are there special pesticides against the cabbage white caterpillar?Yes, and it doesn't necessarily have to be a chemical one. There are remedies with a bacterium (Bacillus thuringiensis) which only works against the cabbage white caterpillars and is non-toxic to other animals and humans.
What other biological measures help against the caterpillars?An effective method is the use of parasitic wasps. However, this is mainly true when growing under glass. In the wild, the wasps are not quite as effective, as they can be eaten by other animals.
Are other plants attacked by the caterpillars?Just other cruciferous vegetables. Other vegetables or wild plants are safe from the caterpillars.