Yellow eggs

[HayleyB]

Hi everyone

I'm a newbie coming out of the comfort zone of 'New Shoots' to ask the big guys a question.

I have noticed yellow eggs on the leaves of khol rabi, and cabbage and so on, I know they are the eggs of blasted white butterflies and that they'll turn into caterpillars and eeeyuk I've been scraping them off and squeezing/washing off when I find them.

What I'm asking though is: Are there any clever ideas out there for keeping the darned things from laying in my garden???
Thanks

[Hilary B]

There is a 'biological warfare' option, a bacterial culture harmless to everything except leaf-munching caterpillars. My best recollection of the name is 'bacillus thungii', but I am sure that is only vaguely like the right name. It kills off the caterpillars soon after hatching, and thus reduces the number of new butterflies in the area, so less to come around laying.....
Failing that, fly papers over the cabbage patch????
There is probably a 'companion planting' option, but I don't know what that one is.

[KellsSimon]

Low netting that stands clear of your brassicas, so the winged ladies can't lay their eggs?
might work and would keep off the pigeons too.
(only guessing though.)

[di]

Also check they are butterfly~mentioned on another thread that ladybird eggs are yellow!(not trying to depress you!!~but maybe google butterfly/ladybird eggs & compare to what you've got just in case.

[Tracey]

I was looking at some of the images of white butterflys and ladybirds and they look identical to me. Does anyone know how to tell them apart?

[bluemoon]

Sorry, if they're on your cabbages chances are they're the butterflies. Small gauge netting keeps them (and the pigeons) off, as has already been suggested. Insects will always lay where there is a food source for their larvae, so unless your brassicas are also infested with aphids it's unlikely to be ladybirds and almost certainly something that will enjoy munching the plants.

[HayleyB]

Thanks guys,

Pigeons have been deterred after their initial all out assault the day after planting out. A combination of a watering can, daughter's pink feather boa, husband's tie and a fork, and a fishing net, now accompanied by two canes with plastic bags seems to have done the trick. Totally confused pigeons daren't come near.

Breeding Ladybirds sounds like a brilliant idea, haven't any greenfly though.

I think I'll continue with the yukky job of scraping them off and if it gets too bad come up with an ingenious way of getting nets to stand clear of the brassi beds.

Maybe when I plant my caulis out (they've been too pathetic up to now, mind you the swedes have mostly given up the ghost anyway) if they survive the shock try netting.