My broccoli all have little holes in the leaves. I've just hand-cleaned the undersides of tiny green catepillars. Which pest is this? This is my first year with brocolli and this is a new bug for me. They are very fond of the broccoli but arent' on any of the cauliflower yet(right next to broccoli, but they are still signifcantly smaller plants though).
DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email) Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY,
After a couple of web page searches found it.
"Diamondback worms are small, pale, green caterpillars that are pointed on both ends. The moth is gray, with diamond-shaped markings when the wings are closed. The damage caused by diamondback larvae looks like shot holes in the leaf."
The shot holes is the dead ringer for what I'm seeing.
I'll have to start checking them every morning. DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email) Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY,
Most of us just call them Euopean cabbage worms , in polite company anyway. Fortunate they are easily controlled with the biological larvacide Bt. (DIPEL or Thuricide)
Cabbage loopers. Have you seen any white moths flying around? (actually, they are butterflies and not moths)
Bob
BT is the easy (nice) solution. Seven Dust 5% will take the next step. I usually soak my fresh crop in the sink in salt water before cooking for dinner. Helps to kill the hiders.
Yes, but Diamondback moths are actually moths.
Diamondback moths are different but BT will get them too. Regular sprayings of BT will completely control these, cabbage worms and cabbage loopers.
Steve
You have one of three species of what "we English" call Cabbage Whites:
1) large cabbage white buttefly (Pieris brassicae); 2) small cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae); 3) cabbage moth (Mamestra brassicae).All have two generations during summer. Caterpillars of the large cabbage white are yellow with black markings. The small cabbage whie is pale green with a velvety appearance. Cabbage moth caterpillars are green or brown without any obvious hair covering. Removing the caterpillars by hand is recommended, alternatively spray plants with either permethrin or pyrethrin.
I'm an organic gardener, and I find that putting a mesh tent (my mother's old lace curtains) over the plants prevents the butterflies from getting to the plants. They're too stupid to look under the net.
If they do get under and lay their eggs (little yellow things on the undersides of leaves), I just rub them off. And the butteflies get trapped so you can kill them.
OK, I know you can't do it for five acres or whatever, but this method works fine in a kitchen garden.
s.
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