5 tactics to combat White Cabbage Butterfly and Moth on brassicas:
- Brassicas don’t need pollination. Netting is a chemical free preventative strategy. But, if you don’t get it on early, before any eggs are laid, you’ll just trap the caterpillars in rather than excluding them.
- Physically squash the eggs on the undersides of the leaves and pick off any caterpillars.
- Plant a sacrificial crop to host the pest, this will then mean you have predatory insects present to take on some of the load.
- Decoys are a bit controversial with some experts saying they’re territorial, whilst others say they are not. They certainly won’t do any harm.
- Dipel is a microbial insecticide that targets caterpillars. Dipel breaks down naturally in sunlight, so repeat sprays are necessary every 5-7 days. It’s your only treatment option as horticultural oils and pyrethrum just won’t work.
