Biblical moth infestations expected

[ecudc]

Don't tell the brexit camp they'll have a field day...Europe migrants coming over here and stealing our crops...putting good old English butterflies and moths out of their brassica munching jobs.

[gardening_gal]

There's a store that has had to block off part of their car park as a moth colony has taken hold. No idea what type of moth mind, but the size of the colony is quite amazing, it stretches quite a way.

[Martin H]

The Telegraph has a piece on this "invasion". It quotes an expert: "This is an occasional minor pest in this country on brassicas and it is possible given the numbers this year it may prove to be a bit of a nuisance, but we won't know for a few weeks until any caterpillars have hatched," he said.

I'm scared. Not.

[Mrs Bee]

There's a store that has had to block off part of their car park as a moth colony has taken hold. No idea what type of moth mind, but the size of the colony is quite amazing, it stretches quite a way.

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Yuck, yuck, yuckity, yuck.

[muddled]

I guess I'll just add these to the ever growing list of things trying to get between me and dinner.
If they stick to cabbages and caulis they'll probably starve on my plot anyway.
Slugs and cabbage whites are already waiting in line.....

[alldigging]

They're not the millions of little white things flying about *It's during the day so can't be moths?

[Martin H]

They're not the millions of little white things flying about *It's during the day so can't be moths?

The little white things are whitefly, which are not moths.
But quite a few kinds of moth do fly during the daytime, although not many of them go after our cabbages.

[alldigging]

The little white things are whitefly, which are not moths.
But quite a few kinds of moth do fly during the daytime, although not many of them go after our cabbages.

They are the biggest whitefly ever then! I will have to catch a few!

[Jungle Jane]

I thought I'l just have a look at my Brussels sprouts leaves & on a few of the leaves it looks like sun scorch,translucent holes,turned the leaves over & about 20 extremely tiny caterpillars with dark heads per leaf,I removed one leaf to get a good look but squashed them all,I took these photos showing the damage on top & underneath,it looks like its them from the damage. I was reading an article last night they found less of a diamondback moth problem when inter-cropping brassica with the English marigold.

[Martin H]

Did the dark-headed caterpillars have greenish-yellow bodies? If so they could have been baby cabbage white caterpillars, like these:

[Scoot]

https://twitter.com/savebutterflies/...21776381333505

[Jungle Jane]

They seemed smaller than cabbage white caterpillars & more of them,they were like those tiny tomato moth caterpillars,I haven't seen a cabbage white butterfly at all this year,it's a bit odd? Seen lots of moths about & near my tomatoes so I'l have to check them too if I notice holes.

[4390evans]

Where abouts have they been spotted?

[Ryez]

I hope all those spiders building webs all over my greens have an appetite for these...

[Jungle Jane]

I thought there's probably one still out there,they're difficult to find & there it was,I took a few photos. They're tiny but eat a lot!