Revenge of the caterpillars!

[gemlady]

Had my dessimated PSB removed complete with hundreds of caterpillars yesterday and put into green bin, but some escaped and have reeked their revenge by chomping through my salad leaves and coriander on patio. I don't like caterpillars and some are still crawling about on the patio and have even crawled up the wall outside my back door just waiting to drop on me when I go out so now can't use the back door. Will they just die off if they can't find anything else to their liking,will they eat my outdoor tomatoes, or will I have to wait for them to grow up and fly off? I don't mind the odd one or two bugs but I don't like being invaded.

[Two_Sheds]

they'll keep munching. It's what they do. Eat as much as poss, turn into butterfly, breed, die.

you'll have to get out there and crush them or drop them into salty water.

don't be a wuss

[MaureenHall]

Pay some kids to collect them all up. I offered my grandchildren 1p for each caterpillar they found on my brassicas at the lottie, bearing in mind that I "thought" I was sort of on top of them with the Garlic Fire Spray. 225 caterpillars in 10 minutes between the 3 of them, even though there were some very tiny baby ones on a bit of torn leaf, was pretty good going! Let's see, 75p for 10 minutes fun, times 6 = £4.50 an hour for a 9 year old - think I'll hire them out
Went down the lottie again today to continue the caterpillar massacre and only found 50 ish. Wonder how many more are lurking?

[gemlady]

Well I took Two Sheds advice and got myself a bucket of salty water and a "very" long pole and started collecting them. There were half a dozen that had crawled up the wall (over pebble dash mind you ) and were on the ceiling of the porch over the back door. It's not enclosed but I cannot understand why they are up there. I've cleared it of several more on 2 occasions today, but cannot understand why they keep going up there. Any ideas anyone?

[gemlady]

Looks as though they use a vertical surface like a fence or wall to pupate for next generation. Not in my back yard they're not

[plotman]

I have an allotment next to a guy who planted all his brassicas and then left them. His allotment was alive with cabbage white catterpillars, They totally devoured his entire stock, it was like a film set. Then they moved onto mine and i had no chance seriously. I collected hundreds but they still chomped away. I lost all my greens. SSpoke to our council and they were as symphathetic as the caterpillers. Still no sign of my neighbour