How Do You Keep White Butterflies Away From Cabbage?

The best way to stop cabbage white damage is to stop the butterflies from reaching your cabbages and other brassica crops. Whenever the butterflies are on the wing – pretty much all year, from February to November – use Enviromesh or fine horticultural fleece as a protective barrier.

How do I stop cabbage white butterfly?

But no matter how vigilant you are, the only sure-fire way to stop cabbage white butterflies from laying their eggs and caterpillars from destroying your plants is to keep them covered, and to form a physical barrier that these pests cannot breach.

What keeps white butterflies away?

3 Try a chilli and garlic spray to repel the white butterfly. 4 Plant French marigold (tagetes patula) and spray plants with seaweed spray.

How do I get rid of white cabbage caterpillars?

Cover plants with horticultural fleece or fine netting to prevent butterflies reaching the leaves. Check plants regularly and pick off any caterpillars that do make it through. Grow nasturtiums as a sacrificial crop and move eggs and caterpillars from your brassicas to the nasturtium leaves.

How do you get rid of cabbage moths naturally?

Wormwood, thyme, marigolds, tomatoes, tansy and peppermint are all believed to help keep the cabbage worms away. You can also use companion plants like buckwheat and yarrow to attract beneficial insects to fight the cabbage worms for you. You may also consider interplanting single brassicas throughout a garden.

What plants repel cabbage moths?

For example, brassica companion plants like thyme, dill, oregano, lavender, onions, garlic, and marigolds are said to deter cabbage moths.

Do marigolds keep white butterflies away?

Celery planted with cauliflower will keep away the white butterfly. Marigold is the best to battle against many insects, which hate the smell of the foliage and blooms. It can also be planted as a deterrent in those spots you want to stop a cat or dog doing their business.

How do I keep white moths off my vegetables?

There are three main ways of deterring moths from laying eggs on your brassicas: netting, companion planting, and decoys. Use fine netting to form a physical barrier, stopping the moths from reaching your plants. Ensure the nets fully enclose each plant, leaving enough of a gap to prevent all contact.

What is the season for cabbage white butterfly?

Cabbage White Butterflies will lay eggs either twice or three times a year if the weather is favourable, with the last egg laying of the year being in late August to September.

How do you protect cabbage from bugs?

For a more in-depth infestation, make a repellent spray by mixing one tablespoon of dish soap with one cup of vegetable oil and one cup of water and spray down the entire plant, especially the underside of the leaves, where worms and other pests like to hide out.

How do you protect cabbage?

The obvious choice is to net the crop. I use enviromesh or veggiemesh draped over beds of brassicas. It is so finely woven that it keeps out both cabbage white butterflies and pigeons. I drape the netting over a few hazel sticks and tamp it down with stones or bricks.

How do I get rid of cabbage maggots?

How to Get Rid of Cabbage Root Maggots

1. If you see flies in the air, scout for eggs in the soil.
2. You can try installing ‘cabbage collars’ at the base of the stem.
3. Sticky traps in the garden are effective at trapping cabbage flies.
4. Check with your nursery about using nematodes as a biological control for root maggots.

When should I cover my cabbage?

The covers go on as soon as I’ve planted my seeds or seedlings and remain in place all season since cabbage family crops don’t need to be pollinated.

What is eating holes in my cabbage plants?

These small holes are telltale signs of the cabbage worm. Actually, the are several insects that cause this type of damage and are generally referred to as ‘cabbage worms’. This includes the imported cabbage worm, the diamondback caterpillar and cabbage looper.

Should you cover your cabbage?

There are several reasons to cover some of your vegetable beds. In the spring, cabbage moths lay their eggs on brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale, etc.). The hatched worms are hard to see and eat voraciously. I’ve found the best way to avoid the cycle, and harvest beautiful, worm-free brassicas is to cover the plants.

What can I plant near cabbage to keep pests away?

Companion Planting
One way of minimizing the number of pests in your cabbage patch is to plant the cabbage with companion plants. Hyssop, peppermint, rosemary, sage, thyme and southernwood all help repel the moths and butterflies that lay the larvae that eat the cabbage.

Do marigolds protect cabbage?

Cabbage Family and Marigolds
Marigolds repel the cabbageworm that attacks plants in the cabbage family. Planting marigolds with cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts deters cabbageworms and adds bright color to the garden.

Are cabbage white butterflies territorial?

Males do not display considerable amounts of territorial behaviour. It has been suggested that this could be a reason why there is no observed significant sexual dimorphism between the male and female large white butterflies.

How long do cabbage white butterflies live for?

The lifespan of cabbage white butterflies depends on the weather. A butterfly will usually live for three to six weeks which is roughly around 21 to 42 days. Only three weeks are spent as an adult butterfly.

Where do cabbage white butterflies overwinter?

Cabbage white butterflies overwinter as pupae. Those that survive the cold months will hatch into butterflies during the spring. The butterflies mate then each female lays a few hundred eggs, on the leaves of cabbages, other related plants and nasturtiums.

How far do cabbage white butterflies travel?

It is believed that this butterfly can fly up to 100 miles in its lifetime although, undoubtedly, most butterflies will only travel a mile or two.