[brucesgirl]

We have some cut-and-come-again cauliflowers growing, I think they are like white sprouting broccoli. They are netted with a mesh too small for butterflies, and last night we noticed two of them had had the leaves chewed away. We took the net off and searched for caterpillars but couldn't find any, but the leaves have been stripped to the little stems, so they look skeletal.
Does anyone have any idea what could be eating them?

[paintedlady]

slugs and snails?

[wildeone]

put a beer trap out - i found 2 slugs on my runner beans but a beer trap caught over 30 in 1 night!!! I now do it twice a week with really cheap asda lager!!! £1.60 for 4 cans!!!

[brucesgirl]

Would they climb to the top of the plants and eat downwards??
I will run down there tonight to put some pellets down - little slimey varmints!

[Lesley Jay]

Does the netting reach the ground all around? The first year I netted the brassicas over the netting didn't reach the ground and the cheeky pigeons walked underneath and stripped the leaves!!

[brucesgirl]

Yes its anchored by lengths of wood.
I am sitting here at work wondering how many will be left by this evening. Must admit the slugs have been quiet the last few weeks so really didn't think of them, and now I remember that when I dug this bed I did find quite a few in the soil.

[richyrich7]

Have the butterflies just laid their eggs through the netting ? esp if leaves are touching the net.

[brucesgirl]

Well - went down last night and scattered slug pellets, no more leaves eaten.
Richy - I didn't realise that butterflies would just drop their eggs through the mesh. Now I am picturing them like fighter planes dropping bombs on poor innocent victims.
Had another good look though, and still can't find any caterpillars, but will stay vigilant.

[richyrich7]

Richy - I didn't realise that butterflies would just drop their eggs through the mesh. Now I am picturing them like fighter planes dropping bombs on poor innocent victims.

   no they can't just drop em scary thought  :shock:
but if they can land on a leaf that's netted, they can lay eggs through the netting if they can get their ovipositer through. I've seen the little * do it on my dads cabbages when I was a kid.

[brucesgirl]

Well thats a relief!!!
No the plants aren't touching the netting, I learnt that mistake when the pigeons ate some cauliflowers that were touching the netting.
These garden pests are brighter than we think, aren't they?
Will see if any dead slugs are there tomorrow.