cabbage white deterent?

[Two_Sheds]

this one is gross: "pick off all the caterpillars you can, and put 'em in a blender with some water, and spray 'em back onto the cabbages. You will not get any more eggs laid there. Of course..remember to wash your cabbages well before eating"

[MaureenHall]

this one is gross: "pick off all the caterpillars you can, and put 'em in a blender with some water, and spray 'em back onto the cabbages. You will not get any more eggs laid there. Of course..remember to wash your cabbages well before eating"

Yuk that really is gross!!! I've been spraying mine with garlic solution. There's a few caterpillars, but not as many as some of you seem to be getting. When I do find a leaf with eggs on, I break it off and chuck it to the chooks.

[squashysu]

i have been shaking, picking and squishing caterpillars everyday now, hoping that everything will come under control!

[Sanjo]

If the butterflies are attracted to the smell what do people think of hanging mothballs near the planted veg.
My OH is going to build me an enclosure at the weekend ready for me planting out some (boo hoo shop bought stuff as mine got slugged!!) and I just wondered whether the smell of the mothballs would put off the butterflies as it does the cats and squirrels. Going to hang them in those little mesh bags that the fatballs come in.

Think I'll give it a go anyway and see what happens and if it works I'll let you know.

[Two_Sheds]

If the butterflies are attracted to the smell what do people think of hanging mothballs near the planted veg.

Mothballs contain paradichlorobenzene (PDB), a substance also found in air fresheners and insect repellents ... can cause liver and kidney failure, and severe anaemia.
I know, even plain water can kill you, but I still wouldn't want to hang a poison among my veg.

[Sanjo]

Thanks for the advice Two Sheds,will have a rethink. Sanjo

[gojiberry]

The other way to use rhubarb leaves is to boil them in water and once the liquid has cooled use it as a spray. That way you don't get the terrible pong that you do when you compost them in water.

Ian

[maytreefrannie]

Thanks for the tip about covering them - I hadn't thought of netting ( I know - I don't feel clever admitting that).
I've tried several times the garlic/washup liquid/water mix and still the leaves are all eaten away - I guess the rain washes the mixture off before it dries in and that makes it totally ineffective.
I'll try covering them in a last-ditch attempt to get some to grow on - cheers, Demeter, I hope you enjoyed yours, never mind what stowaways managed to get in along with them.

[JO,JO]

totally devastated my red and green cabbage plants.

[Two_Sheds]

what else can i do to stop cabbage white laying on my veg. ..any ideas?

This summer's hot weather has brought the CWBs out in force, there are 100s flitting about the allotment.

I noticed they're very keen on verbena bonariensis & lavender, so I've planted some near out tap.
The CWBs are pretty easy to catch when they're feeding, with a kid's fishing net. This is one morning's catch.



I don't feel bad about killing them, they're hardly endangered. For every adult you kill you're saving yourself picking off 100s of caterpillars: the female will lay up to 600 eggs.

UK Butterflies - Large White - Pieris brassicae