Anyone who has ever planted a garden knows that it is almost impossible to grow cabbage without cabbageworms.
Here in my garden I have yet to see a cabbageworm in the cabbage patch. The Imported Cabbage Worm is the easiest to identify. Those little white butterflies you see fluttering around in the garden are the adult stage of the imported Cabbage Worm. If you look closely, you can spot the eggs they lay. Every time a butterfly lands on a cabbage leaf it lays a single tiny white egg.
- Cabbage Looper Butterfly on Kale.
The other cabbageworm that causes us trouble is the Cabbage Looper. This worm moves across the plant by arching its body and moving its rear legs forward to the front of its body. Then it stretches out to move its front legs forward, much like an inchworm. You will not see the adult moth of the looper because it flies at night.
My cabbage patch is right next to the chicken run; just a wire fence separates the garden from thirty-five hens. I think they may be intercepting the butterflies before they have a chance to reach my cabbage, although today the butterflies are out in full force.
Both species of cabbageworms chew large holes in the leaves and heads and leave behind large amounts of frass (droppings). The control for them is the same too.
A biological insecticide Bt — sold under the trade name of Thuricide, Dipel and others, is a very effective and safe way to kill cabbageworms without harming beneficial insects. Chemical insecticides easily and rapidly kill the worms but also kill any beneficial insects that happen to be in the garden.
You can try making a homemade cabbageworm killer by mixing two to three parts white baking flour with one part table salt. Dust the cabbage plants with the mixture.
The smaller the cabbageworms, the easier they are to kill – no matter what insecticide you use. So, treat your cabbage plants early before the cabbageworms get a chance to grow.
Bob