When do caterpillars finish?

[Two_Sheds]

We've still got 100s of white flutterbys on the lotty. I'm catching about 20 a day in my fishing net



It might not seem much, but if everyone did it, we'd save ourselves 1000s of caterpillars

[Pineberry]

We've still got 100s of white flutterbys on the lotty. I'm catching about 20 a day in my fishing net

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It might not seem much, but if everyone did it, we'd save ourselves 1000s of caterpillars

Extra thing on the to do list on the plot
Off to toys r us to get butterfly net, kids will be please something to get them busy

[rustylady]

Absent from allotment for two days. All plants checked and de-caterpillared two days ago. Managed to get over today and my brassicas are covered in the horrible greedy little bu@@ers. Hate them, hate them, hate them.

[Two_Sheds]

Last weekend I had one lone 4" tall brassica seedling, hidden behind my buckets & pots, on the patio. Miles away from any other brassica, really .... miles.

Today it is a skellington

[rustylady]

I have skellingtons too TS - depressing innit? Factsheet says eggs take 4 days to hatch - they lie!!

[veggiechicken]

Last year was the Slug year - this one seems to be Caterpillar year

[Tripmeup]

Last year was the Slug year - this one seems to be Caterpillar year

And Daddy Long legs where I am.. Don't mind them tbh..
Anyone else noticed them?

[rustylady]

No longlegs yet Trip, but the moths are battering themselves against the windows in the evenings. Must be nearly Autumn.

[Pineberry]

If the plants are large and healthy aren't they suppose to withstand the attack?

[mothhawk]

They've been at my new rhubarb plant - I could only find one caterpillar, a small brown one, there must be more, that's way too much damage for one on its own



And I found one of those hairy types skulking on the bare earth under the parsnips.

[rustylady]

If the plants are large and healthy aren't they suppose to withstand the attack?

Large and healthy seems to equal more food, hence more caterpillars! Last year was the year of the slug and the snail - this year it's the year of the caterpillar. Little bu@@ers are eating everything.

[Kirk]

We select seed and plants that produce nice large juicy amounts of high quality catapillar food.

We plant this excellent and attractive catapillar food in localised and concentrated patches so the catapillars do not have to expend energy getting to the next feeding station.

Then we complain of catapillars.

[DannyRam]

Thanks to the generosity of friends, I have my brassicas all over the place. Consequently it was impractical to net them. I have been inspecting them every 2 or 3 days for weeks now and have destroyed loads of eggs. In the last 2 days, I have found no eggs. However, I have found very few caterpillars so I am hoping that I have won the battle although I shall continue to check them out. I hope I am not being guilty of premature adulation!!!

[Marb67]

I grew a patch of nettles in the corner and that didn't stop them stripping my broccoli.

[veggiechicken]

^^^^ Different sort of butterfly likes nettles
Found another group of caterpillars this morning, chomping away on the sprouts. Not any more