Can anyone help stop cabbage butterflies eating my crops

Question

weve grown our own veg this yr and we seem plagued with cabbge butterflies could anyone tell us what gets rid of these critters

many thanks

Answer 1

Netting is the simple answer. Also, you need to check your brassicas every day, pick off caterpillars and check the undersides of leaves for eggs.

I find that spraying with nettle tea, nettles soaked in a bucket of water for a few weeks, keeps them away altogether. It stinks to high heaven but acts as a natural insect repellant.

Don't use pesticides, there really is no need and, besides, if you're going to spray chemicals on them, you might as well buy them from the supermarket.

Answer 2

Try making a home made insecticidal soap.  Use 1 teaspoon Dawn dish soap (the plain dish soap not anything with antibacerial or super grease cutters etc.) per gallon of water.  Spray down the plants with the solution if you have a sprayer, or you can use a watering can.  Make sure you really cover all the foliage.  This will keep most insects away from your plants.  It is organic, but only lasts until rain washes it off so you have to do it regularly for it to work.  It works and best of all, NO CHEMICALS!

Answer 3

Thuricide avaialble at home depot..and if not there any feed store has it...I use it for my cole crops and winter veggies

http://www.biconet.com/biocontrol/btb.ht...

Answer 4

pesticide!!

Answer 5

It's their caterpillars that are doing the eating.  Look for the eggs, wash them off, pick off the caterpillars.  I use a very weak solution of water/washing up liquid for cleaning them off - and for removing green/black fly.

Answer 6

All you need to do is check under the leaves for the caterpillars which is where Cabbage Whites lay their eggs. Just squash them and you'll have no more trouble. If you don't fancy that I used to use old lace curtains and throw them over the row of plants and they couldn't get to them.

Answer 7

Cover cabbages with fine netting, butterflies can't get through, so therefore no butterflies no caterpillars. Uneaten cabbages.