Mealy Cabbage Aphid

[mw80]

Hi

I have noticed yellowy patches on many of the leaves of my brassiccas This seems to have especially affected the Greyhound cabbages and m Swede. Having googled the problem i think it might be the 'Meal Cabbage Aphid'.

I am quite dissapointed as spent quite a lot of money on Enviromesh i an attempt to stop this sort of thing from happening but these thing are sent to try us!

Has anyone experienced this before and if so do you know of an remedies that might prevent me from losing everything as i am new t growing any veg!

Thank yo

-- mw80

[Ed]

Hiya,

I'm in the exact same position as you. I'm a new vegetable grower and only got my allotment last March.

But, because there was no fencing around my plot, I bought Enviromesh to cover my brassicas to prevent attack from rabbits , birds and butterflies. And in that respect I am very well pleased. The product does work and my brassicas look terrific with little damage compared with those of my neighbours.

And yet , I have also noticed, in recent weeks, some yellowing of some of the leaves, especially the sprouts. However, I don't know what the cause of this is or how detrimental this is to the plants.

Have you looked on the underside of the leaves of your plants. Do you see the aphids?

I will certainly take a look myself tomorrow and see if I can spot anything and let you know.

Maybe just a squirt of derris (or whatever insecticide you like) is all that is necessary.

Ed

[mw80]

I am pretty sure they are the Mealy Cabbage Aphid. I first noticed the on the sprouts but squashed them all! They seem to nest in folded part of the outer leaves. I have now noticed them on the Calabrese, Swed (ravaged) and Greyhound Cabbage.

I have pulled 2 cabbage out completely as they were badly affected an i was worried that they might spread to the other plants and they woul never have been very edible

The aphids seem to suck all the colour out of the leaf turning i yellow and dry

I am trying to be as organic as possible and i don't use insecticide unless it's a last resort.......this might be one of those occasions

-- mw80

[Ed]

You said you were using Enviromesh? Perhaps the aphids got in whilst you were planting out or when you removed the mesh to do some weeding?

Now, regarding Enviromesh, tell me this... Is there enough slack in your mesh cover to allow the calabrese and sprouts to grow to full height? In my case, there is not, so I will have to construct some kind of low cage with netting to keep the butterflies and birds off the crops. But that will let the aphids in, I guess. What about your situation?

Ed

[mw80]

Probably not!

My sprouts are not under the mesh and they seem to be doing fin without it (i have had to stake them to protect them from the wind). M Calabrese, cabbages & Cauliflower are covered with Enviromesh and think they will remain like that until they are ready to harvest

I think i will just stake around the bigger plants i.e. sprouts an purple sprouting broc, and put some mesh or chicken wire over to sto the birds

That's the plan anway

I am getting a bit confused with all the different types of cabbages cauliflowers & calabrese i have planted and when they will be ready t harvest......i think i will just keep going and if it looks ready will eat it

-- mw80