Fighting the cabbage white caterpillar: 4 home remedies

The cabbage white butterfly can do a lot of damage to cabbage plants in particular in the vegetable garden. How to get rid of it quickly and effectively is in this article. How to combat the cabbage white butterfly.

Recognize cabbage white caterpillar

It is generally not difficult to spot the caterpillars of the two species of cabbage white:

Great Cabbage White butterfly (Pieris brassicae)	Small cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae)
- about 4 cm long - yellowish green - black speckled / speckled (older specimens) - yellow back line	- about 3 cm long - matt light green - very fine yellowish topline - short, thick hairs

Note: The moths are not only difficult to distinguish from one another, but also difficult to distinguish from other species of whiteflies.

Combat with home remedies

When controlling the cabbage white caterpillar, it is difficult to find an effective home remedy. There is nothing that would really drive away the caterpillars once they have started to eat. So the best method is to collect the caterpillars.

Check and collect

Regular control of the cabbage plants is very important so that the infestation does not get too big in the first place. However, the following plants must also be checked:

• Nasturtiums
• Garlic mustard
• Mustard or rapeseed plants

The egg clutches of the butterflies are often found on the underside of the leaves, they are either yellowish-orange or light green. Found caterpillars can easily be picked up by hand, they are not dangerous or even poisonous. If you want to be absolutely sure, use gloves. The collected caterpillars should not simply be released elsewhere, unless the garden is very large and they do not cause any damage in the new place. Otherwise the problem would just shift.

Note: The caterpillars take hot mustard oils from their forage plants, which they use for most birdsmake inedible.

Tomato extract

A cold extract from Tomato leaves is supposed to keep the cabbage whites from laying eggs. Tomato leaves between the plants should also help. The caterpillars themselves cannot be fought directly with this home remedy.

use

1. 1 liter of water and 1 kg of tomato plants are put in a sufficiently large bucket or tub.
2. The mixture is left to stand for 24 hours.
3. Then pour through a sieve and pour the liquid into a spray bottle.
4. Spray cabbage plants thoroughly with the home remedy.

Tansy broth

With a broth out Tansy not only do you fight the cabbage white caterpillar, it also helps against other pests such as lice. How to apply them:

• Collect tansy: on roadsides, on fallow land and meadows
• flowering plants particularly effective
• Coarsely chop the plant parts
• Herbs can be dried for storage
• Mixing ratio: about 40 g fresh or 3 g dried cabbage per liter of water
• Let soak for 24 hours
• bring to the boil and cook for up to 30 minutes
• let cool down
• pour through sieve
• Pour liquid into watering can
• Water the plants and beds with it

Note: Nettle broth is not suitable as a home remedy for combating the caterpillars. On the contrary, it can even attract the moths.

Stone meal

Stone meal is also said to help prevent the moths from laying eggs on the plants in question. It is very easy to use and is best done when the plants are still slightly damp, either from rain or dew. In dry weather it also helps to moisten the plants with water first. The flour is then applied to the top and bottom using a powder sprayer. The application must be repeated regularly, especially after heavy rain.

Prevent

Since the caterpillars are so hard to get hold of, it's better to make sure the butterflies don't lay eggs in the first place. For that there are different possibilities.

Mixed culture

An important measure is the cultivation of Mixed cultures. This ensures that the moths cannot find their host plants so easily. Aromatic herbs or tomato plants have such a strong scent that the butterflies are driven away. It also makes sense to maintain a crop rotation. Cabbage shouldn't be grown after cabbage. After 4 years at the earliest, or better 5 years, cabbage can be on the same bed again. This protects against many diseases and pests.

Create a natural garden

In a near-natural garden, beneficial insects and pests are balanced. Even if few birds eat the cabbage white caterpillar, they have other natural enemies. These include various Parasitic waspsSpecies, but also ground beetles. In this way you create ideal conditions for beneficial insects and thus lay the foundation for natural control of the cabbage white butterfly.

• Hiding places in piles of brushwood and leaves
• clay flower pots filled with straw
• Pile of stones
• overgrown corners in the garden

Networks

Culture protection nets are effective against a large number of pests. They prevent the females of insect pests from being able to lay their eggs on the host plants in the first place. Cabbage white butterflies don't even have to be particularly dense meshes. However, it is important that the nets are tightly anchored to the ground.

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