These caterpillars do damage

Damage and control

Depending on the type of caterpillar, the pests attack above-ground parts of plants or roots. They feed on plant tissue, although the species prefer different plants. Often the larvae are well camouflaged and difficult to spot. Feeding marks such as leaves eaten off down to the veins indicate an infestation.

What helps against it

Protect the cultures with close-meshed nets so that the moths cannot lay their eggs on the plants or the soil. Usually it is enough to collect the caterpillars. You can transport these in a bucket and release them in a forest. If the pests have spread strongly, hosing down with a strong jet of water will help. Quickly collect the creatures lying on the ground. When growing, pay attention to mixed cultures and place aromatic herbs such as garlic, basil, onions or oregano in the bed.

Recognize harmful caterpillars

There are a number of butterflies and nocturnal butterflies that feed on ornamental and useful plants in the early stages of development. They usually do not pose a threat when natural predators are present.

Cabbage white butterfly

The great Cabbage white butterfly prefers cruciferous vegetables, which also include the various types of cabbage. Its offspring can cause devastating feeding damage in summer. Dangerous for cabbage vegetables and Nasturtiums is also the little cabbage white butterfly.

Distinguishing features:

• Large cabbage white butterfly lays egg clutches with ten to 20 pieces
• its caterpillars are yellowish green in color and spotted black
• Small cabbage white butterfly places individual eggs
• velvety light green larvae hatch from it

Gamma owl

This gray-brown moth is sometimes referred to as a coal owl because it feeds on vegetable cabbage. Herbaceous plants as well as tomatoes and lettuce or ornamental plants are also on their menu. The caterpillars appear greenish or brownish and have a light yellow stripe pattern.

Cabbage moth

This butterfly is also known as the cabbage moth and develops from caterpillars that are up to nine millimeters long. They are deep green in color and have a brown head. Cruciferous vegetables are severely eaten when they are infected, so that only the skeleton of the leaves remains.

Little frost wrench

The nocturnal butterfly places its eggs in cracks in the bark of trees. In spring, caterpillars hatch on it, which are greenish in color and have a dark green longitudinal stripe. Yellow horizontal stripes, which make the larva appear segmented, are typical. They can cause great damage to deciduous trees and fruit trees as they eat the leaf tissue down to the ribs.

Cabbage moth

These moths can be recognized by their light brown colored and dark striped wings. Their yellow-green offspring are similar to those of the more common cabbage moths. They live in loose webs on the underside of the leaves of various herbaceous plants and feed on the foliage.