aaarrrggghhh - cater&*%pillers

Janeymiddlewife · « **on:** August 31, 2008, 11:01 »

Needed to vent (hubby doesn't quite understand......)
Came back from 2 weeks away, neighbour had watered, all seemed well until I lifted fleece - pesky little critters have decimated my cabbages and purple sprouting broccolii, somehow must have got under the fleece which I'd weighted down with stones :evil:
So do i just give up, sow more in propogator or is it too late - will I be able to or have to buy plants from nursery?

Novice · « **Reply #1 on:** August 31, 2008, 13:02 »

Uh Oh - nightmare !
I had a similiar experience last year (only from slugs) I understand the cabbage whites are particularly prolific this year.
I spent two hours the other day hand picking them off my brussels and purple sprouting
Anyway, I'd suggest a two pronged attack..sow some seed direct into the beds, and also buy some young plants if you can get them.
Mine caught up last year, but we had a nice warm Sept and Oct which got them off to a flyer.
Good Luck

paintedlady · « **Reply #2 on:** August 31, 2008, 14:03 »

I made a startling discovery about cabbage white caterpillars - they can easily move between raised beds (therefore through netting that keeps the butterflies out). They also like nasturtiums and even the poor horseradish has become a meal too

Porffor · « **Reply #3 on:** August 31, 2008, 16:06 »

i've watched cabbage butterflies go through netting too.. quite clever as it stopped flapping to nip through the holes..

cawdor2001 · « **Reply #4 on:** August 31, 2008, 17:16 »

my netting has kept cabbage white's out but the whitefly! Don't talk to me about whitefly, if you lift the netting it is like it is snowing...flippin gits

Cawdor

muntjac · « **Reply #5 on:** August 31, 2008, 17:18 »

sow some now in the warm plant out at about 5 inch tall they wil come on .in spring feed them a little sulphate of ammonia to boost them along

Bombers · « **Reply #6 on:** August 31, 2008, 19:58 »

Gave my catterpillars a free flying lesson today!

titch · « **Reply #7 on:** August 31, 2008, 20:24 »

they are a very lurid colour when you squish them !!!!!

sclarke624 · « **Reply #8 on:** August 31, 2008, 21:07 »

I was just wondering what netting you are all using though as I use enviro mesh and it kept them out. Also you have to keep the netting slightly above the veg otherwise the eggs may get laid through it. The mesh wasn't that expensive.

the veg I didn't mesh i.e. radishes were destroyed by the little blighters.

jennyb · « **Reply #9 on:** August 31, 2008, 21:29 »

do small cabbage white catepillars change colour as they get bigger? from green to brown maybe?

Bombers · « **Reply #10 on:** August 31, 2008, 21:56 »

Quote from: "jennyb"

do small cabbage white catepillars change colour as they get bigger? from green to brown maybe?

This is what the b*ggers look like when they've grown up a bit!

Robin Redbreast · « **Reply #11 on:** August 31, 2008, 22:18 »

i have been reading some tips on here and one to keep caterpillars at bay is to spray with a salt solution every other day!

jennyb · « **Reply #12 on:** August 31, 2008, 22:26 »

thats a large cabbage white isn't it?

i was meaning the green ones - the small cabbage whites

Bombers · « **Reply #13 on:** August 31, 2008, 22:40 »

Quote from: "jennyb"

thats a large cabbage white isn't it?

i was meaning the green ones - the small cabbage whites

But they still look like this -

sclarke624 · « **Reply #14 on:** August 31, 2008, 22:43 »

thats a pic of a large cabbage white caterpillar, the small cabbage white caterpillar is a lime green. So don't think they change brown are two different sorts of butterfly/caterpillar if you are with me.

aaarrrggghhh - cater&*%pillers

Janeymiddlewife

Porffor