HOW TO GET RID OF CABBAGE MOTHS

The cabbage moth is one of the most frequent garden pests. We know every gardener has a problem with them! They can be deceptive, frustrating, and harmful to plants. There are several simple techniques to keep cabbage month away while still reaping a gorgeous, plentiful harvest!

The cabbage moth (Mamestra brassicae) is best recognized as a pest that causes significant crop damage to a wide range of plant types. Because the species feeds on a wide range of fruits, vegetables, and crops belonging to the genus Brassica, its popular name, “cabbage moth,” is misleading (i.e. cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli). Tobacco, sunflower, and tomato are also among the important host plants, making this pest species very economically damaging.

From roughly 30°N to 70°N in latitude, the cabbage moth has a wide geographic distribution over Europe and Asia. Regions of Europe, Asia, and Africa north of the Sahara Desert are all included in the Palearctic region. Due to the fact that numerous host plants are either endemic or domesticated in diverse sections of this region, the moth can thrive in nearly all regions of this region due to local adaptation. While the moth is normally restricted to this range, there is a risk that it will spread to new areas via global food commerce businesses involving live plant imports.

Unfortunately for gardeners, the cabbage moth lacks many identifying features that make it easy to identify. They are around 1.5 inches long, like many other moths. They have two wings in the front and two in the back. These have bands and spots in black and white on a brown background. A white line towards the edge of their wings can help identify them as cabbage moths, however, it may not be very noticeable.

Caterpillars of the cabbage moth are green with black and brown patterns. These are more obvious at the end of the larvae stage when they grow and mature. When they are prepared to develop into adult moths, brown pupae are formed.

Cabbage moth larvae and mature adult forms are similar to other moth species. Because of this, they are challenging to see. One of the greatest methods to identify if you have cabbage moths is to look at how they affect plants. Larvae prefer to remain on the underside of the leaves and near the ground while they eat the leaves. Look around for larvae of cabbage moths if you find something eating your cabbage, broccoli, sunflowers, or tomatoes.

Biological Control

• Monitoring is important during the early phases of crop development. Monitoring is rapid, simple, and effective in the early phases of the crop, which lasts about 70 days from cabbage planting (or 40 days from transplant). The cabbage moth can be identified by checking window-like leaf damage caused by the young caterpillars. Check the crop twice a week to discover caterpillars before they go to the plant’s growing center. After this point, when the cabbage plant is larger and more structurally complex, detecting the caterpillars becomes too difficult, and sampling becomes considerably less successful.
• Crop rotation and cover crops: Crop rotation and cover cropping are both essential for a healthy garden for various reasons. First, they help to reduce disease and insect problems by not planting the same crop in the same region, which helps to disrupt pest and disease life cycles by shifting their food supply. Second, they help to guarantee that plants get the nutrients they need and stay healthy, making them less prone to pest and disease problems in the first place.
• Pick the worms off by hand: Remove the worms by hand. It’s not fun, but it can be effective, especially if you only have a few plants. To kill worms, place them in a bucket of soapy water. Check the undersides of the leaves. If you come across a cabbageworm with small white cocoons on its back, leave it alone. The cocoons will hatch into parasite wasps, which will kill the worm and possibly others.