cabbage worm infestation need help?

Question

They have eaten 1/2 of each of my broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, i have no broccoli growing, no cauliflower and small cabbage heads, there are lots of eggs now and lots of whtie butterflies, please help me i want them all dead, they are attracting wasps!

Answer 1

Use flour.Sprinkle flour on the cabbage when it is wet from the dew, after it rains, etc.
When they climb up on the plant from where they've been hiding, they'll become coated with flour, get pasted, suffocate & fall off.

I've grown cabbage & this worked for me. Also, when you see any pest eggs laid on the top of the cabbage, you can pour some sour milk on the cabbage head to kill pests before they emerge.

Here's a chart including flour as as pesticide for cabbage loopers.
http://www.altelco.net/~myone/organic_insetcicide.html
Some other controls: Bacillus thuringiensis, Trichogramma wasps, Green lacewing. hot pepper wax. pyrethrum/diatomaceous earth blend. Use resistant varieties. Neem Oil (100% Pure), .

"Cabbage worms are most effectively controlled by using Bacillus thuringiensis, a non- toxic bacterial spray sold as Dipel and Thuricide."
http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/greenline/i1296_384.html

Maybe those wasp are really helping out: "Wasps and hornets are among the most valuable insects on our property if we are looking for help in controlling pest insects. Wasps prey on large quantities of harmful caterpillars and flies which they feed to their young. If you have wasps and hornets living someplace on your property, you are unlikely to have any serious fly problems"
http://www.yardener.com/WaspsandHornets.html
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Nature-and-Environment/1987-07-01/Wasps.aspx

Broccoli Pests
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cornucop/msg060742235096.html
Broccoli questions
http://www.plantanswers.com/breakout/qa130.html
Good luck! Try the flour first. Hope this was helpful.

Answer 2

Nothing like waiting for the wreck before putting on the brakes !
And remember wasps are your gardens friends - they will leave you alone if you leave them alone.

At this point in time you most likely should pull all of them out as your not going to get much of a harvest this late in the game.

That said - if you really want to try and save the crop you can start by trimming off some of the lower leaves that provide protection to the bugs and remove any worms you see by hand. This will give you a chance at getting ahead of the little buggers.
Next you want to get a - NEW - "hose end weed sprayer" in to which you put some liquid dish soap mixed with water and wash down ALL sides (top-bottom-right-left-front-back-middle-etc)of the plants twice a week until harvest. This will drowned the bugs, also when the water drys the soap will dry out the bugs too.

Note; I can't tell you how much soap to use cause I don't know what sprayer you will buy. Just keep in mind that it doesn't take a lot of soap to do the job, about a 1/4 tsp of soap per gallon of water on at the plant, should do the trick if not - ad a little more. And remember not to spray in the heat of the day as it might burn your plants too.

Answer 3

From:
http://www.tastefulgarden.com/insect_information.htm

"You can spray your plants organically underneath the leaves with Bacillus thuringiensis or BT to kill the eggs. It washes off in rain and must be applied once a week. Larger caterpillars can be squashed or if you prefer, killed with other organic insecticides like Neem II. Just follow the directions on the package."

OR ask your local nursery what is best to use.

Answer 4

Go to the nursery and buy diatomecious earth. If it comes in a bag, put it in a shaker can and sprinkle your plants. The small ground up shells penetrate the bodies of slugs and worms and they die almost immediately. It is also and organic treatment. Do not let the dust blow up in your face and retreat if it rains. I guarantee that this will work.