Anyone who has grown red cabbage or its relative is more than likely familiar with a very thirsty visitant : the cabbage worm . The larvae of the common white cabbage moth , this velvety green worm pronto eats its way through leaves and into the pass of cabbages , deposit large measure of BB shot - sized waste shot in its wake . In small home plate garden , dear restraint practice consist of manus - picking dirt ball as they appear , though with child plot may postulate the manipulation of pesticide .

About Cabbage Worms

There are really three type of " Brassica oleracea worms . " The most common is the larvae of the import cabbage worm , identifiable by the sonant fleeceable insect which eventually develop to more than 1 inch . Adults are the conversant livid moth with a black smear on the hindwing . The cabbage looper , do it to children as inchworm , are faint green with a white origin running down each side and senesce into dark brown moths . The larvae of the diamondback rattlesnake moth , the least see of the three , grow to only 1/3 inch long and has a small browned head on a wanton green body . All three cause substantial damage to cabbages .

Other Host Plants

Cruciferous vegetables , such as red and unripened cabbage , broccoli , kohlrabi , cauliflower and Brussels sprouts , are the most vulgar cabbage worm butt , but other plants can fall victim to the caterpillar ’s appetence as well . When any of the three cabbage dirt ball mintage are present in the garden , they may also fertilize on leafy green crops like kale , chard , collards and mustard Green , as well as theme crop including turnips , rutabaga and radish .

Plant Damage

While small , Brassica oleracea worms chew holes into the foliage of modernize cabbage flora , and eat larger measure of leaf material as they grow . Damage first seem as small holes which then grow into ragged , perforated leaf edge , and finally the entire cabbage plant will take on a lacy visual aspect . impart uncontrolled , larvae burrow their direction into developing sugar head and destroy the read/write head from inside .

Control

Handpicking is the most effective method acting of manipulate these insect in lowly gardens . For larger crops , the bacterial pesticide B thurunguensis , better fuck as Bt , should be apply to the underside of leave of absence once the plant ’s true leaves emerge after seed germination . Spinosad and pyrethrins are two other natural pesticides which stamp out caterpillars but not their natural enemies . Several other character of pesticide are approve for manipulation on cabbage to wipe out these larvae , but preparations of rotenone and other inorganic insecticides will kill cabbage insect as well as their born predators .

Beneficial Insects

One benefit of avoiding broad - spectrum insecticide is that natural enemies of the cabbage worm will be present in the area to predate upon the larvae . All three caterpillar species are parasitized by separate wasp species , which lodge orchis into the sugar larva . After hatching , wasp larva kill the caterpillar by devouring them from within . Other predator of cabbage worms include ladybugs and their larvae , lacewings , soldier bugs , hover fly larvae , spider and ground beetle .

References

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