Cattepillers again!

[Marb67]

Well I can't belive this. Months since I saw any cabbage whites and any eggs and yet my brassicas are snying with the beggars. I don't mind a few but they are infested. Kale, sprouts and broccoli. I shake the stems to knock them off and they just hang. I don't kill them, just let them fall to the ground and have the leaves on the floor. I just Can't belive it's so cold and they (as well as aphids) are still here, especially as no butterflies for months

[peanut]

You are not alone Marb, I found one on my little nine star broccoli plant. I have yet to check my brassica bed, that is under mesh so I hope there won't be too many in there! I'm not as forgiving as you, all the bugs I find get put out for the birds!

[ameno]

Knocking them off won't do anything. They don't want the leaves on the floor; those leaves are dead. They want living leaves (ideally young, tender ones). They will just climb back up the plants.
If you don't want to kill them yourself, pick them off and put them in an obvious high place for birds to take.

[Marb67]

Knocking them off won't do anything. They don't want the leaves on the floor; those leaves are dead. They want living leaves (ideally young, tender ones). They will just climb back up the plants.
If you don't want to kill them yourself, pick them off and put them in an obvious high place for birds to take.

I don't think they climb back up as I see them on the leaves on the ground whim ch are fresh enough. I'm surprised the many sparrows I get on my garden don't pick them off. I'm hoping these frosts will see them off.

[ameno]

They do climb back up, I've seen it countless times. If they're on the leaves on the leaves on the ground then they are likely just taking temporary shelter there.
The leaves on the ground are nowhere near "fresh enough", as they are already dead by the time they even fall off. Caterpillars want fresh green leaves, not withering yellow ones. Unless you are talking about the leaves of the weeds, in which case, they will not eat those as they are the wrong species.

[Marb67]

I can't believe it, there are now even more and yet no butterflies or eggs for months. I have hosed them with a powerful jet and they still hang on !

And why isn't the frost killing them ? Birds ?

[ameno]

You need to kill them, or at least physically remove them a fair distance. They won't go away if you don't do that.

[Marb67]

You need to kill them, or at least physically remove them a fair distance. They won't go away if you don't do that.

I never see any evidence of them climbing back up the stems. But again, why doesn't the frost kill them or birds eat them at this lean time of year ?

[ameno]

I never see any evidence of them climbing back up the stems. But again, why doesn't the frost kill them or birds eat them at this lean time of year ?

They're resistant to a couple of degrees of frost, and most birds don't actually eat insects as adults. They gather insects for their chicks, and the adults eats seeds and fruit. Being low to the ground doesn't help, either, as it means the birds will be less willing to go down there to get them (as they would be more prone to attack).

And you won't see them climbing back up unless you watch 24/7, as they usually do it at night.

[Jungle Jane]

Blackbirds & robins eat a lot of insects as adults,all year. Brassica/mustard oils the caterpillar eats isn’t admired by birds,something about the mustard & I’ve never seen any bird eat these caterpillars & I leave them squashed on the leaf etc,birds never attracted to them.

[ameno]

That's a good point about the flavour. Large white caterpillars, in particular, exude a foul smelling liquid, which is sure to put birds off.

[Marb67]

And you won't see them climbing back up unless you watch 24/7, as they usually do it at night.

Well interestingly after a week of picking them off and placing them on old leaves in another part of the garden they are still there now feeding on the yellowing vegetation. So perhaps they do stay put after all if something to eat is there. Obviously not too fussed that they are not living vegetation. Nothing on the plants themselves.

[Marb67]

The caterpillars are still eating the dead vegetation and haven't returned to the plants.