Cabbage butterfly: description and how to get rid of it?

Cabbage moth is a butterfly from the white butterfly family that can cause irreparable damage to the harvest of cruciferous plants. Only cabbage caterpillars are dangerous because they gnaw through the leaves, leading to the destruction of the crop. You will learn about effective methods of pest control and prevention by reading this article.

Description of the species

Belongs to the whitefish family. It got its name because it prefers to eat cruciferous plants, in particular cabbage.

You can recognize a butterfly by the following parameters:

Body structure. Has 4 wings and a dark body.
Color. Mostly white. Females have black spots on their wings.
Wingspan. Reaches 6 cm in females. In males this figure is lower.
Larvae. Stay in groups, have ocher-colored bodies.
Caterpillars. They can be distinguished by their greenish color. White stripes are visible on the body, which are located along the entire body of the pest. The size of the pests is 2-3 cm.

Habitat

The cabbage butterfly lives throughout Eastern Europe, North Africa, East Asia and some regions of South America. It can be found on forest edges and clearings, in gardens and orchards where cruciferous vegetables grow - shepherd's purse, rapeseed, rapeseed, radish and various types of cabbage.

In search of food, butterflies make long flights over long distances. The ability to migrate, natural strength and adaptability to difficult conditions are characteristic of all representatives of the whitefish family. Some individuals of these insects living in the forests of Asia are distinguished by great endurance. The most beautiful and largest individuals of these tropical insects are born during the rainy season.

Lifespan and cycles

There are 4 stages in the life cycle of cabbage butterflies.

Egg

The number of eggs that 1 cabbage plant lays depends on the climate in the region. In areas with a predominantly warm climate, butterflies breed more often.

Oviposition occurs from April to September.

When wintering ends, butterflies immediately begin breeding. After mating, the female lays about 200 eggs on cruciferous plants. Most often, the 1st generation does not cause harm to agriculture, since oviposition occurs on wild cruciferous vegetables. But the 2nd generation of butterflies prefers to lay eggs in vegetable gardens.

Caterpillar

Depending on external conditions, it may appear 2-3 weeks after egg laying. As soon as the larvae grow, they disperse over the cabbage leaf and begin to gnaw it from the underside from the edges to the veins.

As a caterpillar, cabbage grass can survive up to 40 days. During this time, she changes the outer shell several times, doing this every 5-7 days. To maintain normal life, they require dry weather with a temperature of no more than 25 degrees.

The most harmful life form of cabbage.

Doll

Outwardly it resembles a caterpillar, but does not cause severe harm to plants. It attaches to individual parts of the cruciferous plant and stays in this form for up to 2 weeks. If the season comes to an end, the cabbage plant goes into hibernation and hatches from the cocoon only when the weather warms up.

Adult

An adult butterfly lives about 30 days. At the same time, it can cause great harm to agriculture by laying eggs on cabbage leaves.

Microorganisms

Microorganisms are airborne or introduced through damage caused by other pests. There are obligate microorganisms that do not exist outside the plant, and conditionally phytopathogenic microorganisms that can live in other environments. The first group is dangerous because, being unable to exist outside the host, it uses its full potential, significantly weakening agricultural crops. The second form can be transmitted over long distances and cover large areas. Just like insects, garden pests are highly specialized in one group of plants. Damage to plants is caused by:

Viruses - characteristic damage: mosaic spots, mottling, deformation of shoots and general weakening of growth. A typical representative is tobacco mosaic in cucumber crops.
Bacteria - the disease occurs in the form of necrotic changes in tissues.
Fungi cause more than 80% of all plant diseases. They use plant parts and fruits as a substrate for growth. Phytopathogenic fungi can be unicellular or multicellular.
Actinomycetes, or radiant fungi, are a type of bacteria that live in soil. They perform an important environmental task during the decomposition of solid substrates. There are parasitic forms.
Mycoplasmas are characteristic features of the disease: small leaves and low seed content.

How to get rid of cabbage butterfly?

To make pest control effective, you need to remember these tips:

Complex fight. It is recommended to use several methods of exterminating insects at once. Treat not only the affected plants, but also those located nearby.
Timely detection. It is necessary to periodically inspect crops for the presence of pests.
Follow sowing rules. Some crops may be particularly attractive to cabbage weeds, which makes nearby plants vulnerable to the pest.
Use the products correctly. It should be remembered that chemicals are more toxic. If they are used at the head formation stage, harmful substances can accumulate in the leaves of the plant, making it unfit for consumption.

Biological

Among the popular methods of biological pest control are:

Small belly. This insect is parasitic, laying its eggs in cabbage larvae, which leads to their death. The small belly is capable of destroying about 90% of caterpillars.
Trichogramma. Another parasite that infects cabbage eggs.
Flascheria. A disease caused by wax moth bacteria. Infected caterpillars turn a bright yellow color and soon die.

Attracting birds to the site is ineffective because the caterpillars produce a liquid that is poisonous to birds.

You can also use the following medications:

Fitoverm;
Vermicide;
Actofid.

They contain bacteria that are inedible to the caterpillars.

Biological methods are effective only for small areas affected by cabbage weeds.

Chemical

In case of a massive pest invasion, it is better to use chemicals.

Common means:

Karate;
Spark;
Kinmiks.

Treatment is best carried out in dry and sunny weather, when there is no wind outside. The lower part of the leaves should be sprayed, as this is where the caterpillars usually hide.

Be sure to use protective equipment. Care should be taken to have a mask, special glasses, gloves and clothing made of fabric that is impermeable to poison.

Folk remedies

A simple folk method of getting rid of caterpillars is to collect them by hand. But you need to wear gloves, since the liquid from the caterpillars causes irritation on the skin. This method is effective if there are few parasites.

Effective recipes:

Pine needle concentrate. What to do:

take 200 g of cones;
pour 1 liter of hot water;
leave for 1 week;
strain;
place in the refrigerator.

For spraying, mix the infusion with water in a ratio of 1 to 10.

Ash and soap. For preparation:

take 500 g of sifted wood ash;
mix with 10 liters of water;
let it brew for 3-4 hours;
add 2 tbsp. l. liquid soap.

Use the product immediately after production.

Syrup trap. Recipe:

take thick sugar syrup;
mix with yeast in a ratio of 1 part yeast to 5 syrup.

Divide the resulting mixture into saucers and place them between the rows. Check periodically to see how many butterflies are caught in the trap.

Mustard powder. Procedure:

take 100 g mustard powder;
mix with 10 liters of water;
leave for 2-3 days.

Before use, mix the product with a small amount of water.

Use of wormwood. Instructions:

take 1 kg of wormwood leaves;
chop well;
fill with a small amount of water (1-2 l);
simmer over low heat for 15 minutes;
strain.

Dilute the decoction with 10 liters of water and spray. Repeated treatment can be carried out only after 7 days.

Valerian infusion. Mode of application:

take 1 bottle of valerian infusion;
mix with 3 liters of water.

Spray the leaves with the prepared solution.

Herbal infusion. What actions to take:

take 200 g each of wormwood, burdock and yarrow;
pour 2 liters of hot water;
leave for 2-3 days.

Strain well and use.

Nutrition

The second and third generations of insects become a real disaster for summer residents and gardeners. The first month of summer is the most favorable for breeding offspring of the cabbage butterfly.

The insect’s favorite food crops appear in the garden:

cabbage;
radish;
turnip;
horseradish;
turnip;
radish;
garlic;
capers.

The pest most often leaves egg masses on the underside of the leaves of these vegetable crops. The emerging caterpillars begin to actively feed on juicy young leaves. First they eat the outer side, then move to the central part. By damaging the leaves of vegetable crops, the caterpillars disrupt the processes of photosynthesis in the plant, thereby causing irreparable damage to the future harvest. When the larvae eat the cabbage leaves down to the base, they move on to the inner leaves of the cabbage head. This leads to the destruction of the entire plant. An adult white moth does not damage vegetation.

Cabbage butterflies eat nectar and pollen of wildflowers:

dandelion;
chamomile;
alfalfa;
coltsfoot;
meadow greenweed.

Prevention methods

The appearance of parasites can be prevented if you use simple prevention rules:

Washing off the pupae. All wooden fences around the area should be thoroughly washed with running water to get rid of pupae stuck to them.
Timely weeding. Weeds, especially those from the cruciferous family, need to be removed at the early stages of their appearance. Otherwise, they may attract pests.
The right neighborhood. Radishes, radishes, and turnips should not be planted nearby. It is better to plant marigolds, lemon balm, and mint around the area, whose smell repels the butterfly. You can also plant dill or carrots between the rows, as they attract cabbage's natural enemies.
Shelter for plants. Even at the seedling stage, cabbage can be covered with an impenetrable cloth, which will protect against cabbage infestation.
Burning the area. In the fall, after harvesting, you need to burn the area where the cabbage grew. This will help improve soil quality and kill any remaining pupae.
Use of prophylactic agents. During the period of active growth of cabbage, it is necessary to periodically treat the leaves with biological preparations. For example, Fitoverm.
Tree protection. It is also better to wash nearby trees. Treat the trunk with lime.
Scaring away. You can scare away butterflies using half an eggshell placed on a wooden post. The butterfly mistakes such a structure for another representative of the species and, deciding that the place is already occupied, flies past.

You can learn about the correct preparation of a repellent to prevent cabbage infestations by watching this video:

What harm does it cause to a person?

White butterfly caterpillars are well camouflaged as cabbage leaves due to their greenish color. In addition to cabbage, they can be traced in the garden on raspberries. There is no need to worry in such cases - caterpillars cannot eat hard raspberry leaves. However, fruit and berry plants located near raspberries are at great risk. A hungry caterpillar can eat leaves from the very edges to the veins.

Reviews

To learn more about the effectiveness of methods for preventing and exterminating cabbage weeds, you should read the opinions of people who have already had to deal with the pest.

★★★★★
Ivan, 51 years old. I have known about the dangers of cabbage for a long time.
One day, an invasion of caterpillars destroyed almost the entire crop. Since then I have been using Fitoverm. I treat the leaves with it for prevention and in case of minor lesions. Manages to keep the cabbage intact. ★★★★★
Irina, 62 years old. I prefer folk remedies for pest control because they are more natural and do not affect the quality of vegetables.
Pine needle concentrate works best. And if there are only a few caterpillars, I collect them by hand. The main thing is to wear gloves. ★★★★★
Galina, 45 years old. I believe that the best way to combat cabbage is timely prevention.
Therefore, in the fall I burn the area, and in the spring I plant marigolds around the beds. I prefer to do mixed plantings, so I sow carrots between the rows of cabbage. My harvest remains intact. Hide

Add your review

To protect the crop from the invasion of cabbage weeds, you need to take preventive measures in a timely manner. Today, there are a large number of drugs and recipes, the use of which will help cope with pests.

Copy link

Chemicals

If folk remedies are powerless, then it is recommended to resort to chemicals. Of course, it is worth choosing safer options - biological control agents. They do not harm the plant and help cope with dangerous insects. It is worth paying attention to such products as Fitoverm, Lepitotsid.

However, in large areas it is better to give preference to serious chemistry - Karbofos, Actellik. The solution is prepared strictly according to the instructions, and the plants are treated only at the stage of leaf formation.

Knowing what harm cabbage grass causes, it is necessary to carry out preventive treatment of agricultural crops in a timely manner in order to grow a good and full harvest. To get rid of insects, you can use traditional methods; if necessary, use chemicals that are prepared strictly according to the instructions. Proper planting of plants of the same species will also help to avoid pests, as well as planting flowers that cabbage does not like.

Cabbage scoop

Dangerous pest of cabbage. It also damages beets, onions, peas, lettuce, poppy seeds, potatoes, beans and other plants.

The butterfly is brown-gray, with a wingspan reaching 50 mm. The front wings have two dark stripes and two spots of the same color. The eggs are hemispherical in shape, with radial ribs extending from the top. Adult caterpillars are greenish or brownish-brown, with wide yellow stripes on the sides, up to 50 mm long.

The cabbage cutworm develops in two generations per year. The pupae overwinter in the soil at a depth of 10–12 cm.

The flight of butterflies of the wintered generation takes place in the second half of May, of butterflies of the next generation - in August. Butterflies are nocturnal. During the day they sit under leaves, under lumps of soil. The dark color of butterflies makes them inconspicuous.

Females lay eggs on the underside of cabbage leaves in groups of 10 to 100 pieces. The egg stage lasts 5-10 days. The first time after hatching, the caterpillars live together - where the eggs were laid. They feed at night on the leaf parenchyma on its underside. The grown caterpillars crawl around the plant, hiding between the leaves. They gnaw through holes of various sizes and shapes in cabbage leaves. But more serious damage is caused by adult caterpillars. They penetrate the head of cabbage, gnaw long passages in it, and pollute it with excrement. The head of cabbage loses its presentation. The development of caterpillars lasts about a month. Having finished feeding, they go into the soil to pupate.

The number of cutworms is reduced by Trichogramma, tachina flies, and parasitic ichneumon flies.

Control measures. Early planting of seedlings. Good care of plants, ensuring their normal development. Periodically inspect plants and crush caterpillars. Loosening the soil between the rows of cabbage and other crops, which causes the death of caterpillars and pupae in the soil and makes it difficult for butterflies to emerge. Weed control. Digging the soil after harvesting. Release of Trichogramma during the period of mass egg laying by butterflies. Spraying cabbage with Kinmiks against caterpillars before setting a head of cabbage.

Other subtleties of keeping flying insects

Pets need their own home. They should not constantly fly around the apartment; you will have to arrange a house for them. Buy or make a special insectarium yourself. It will be easier to create a suitable microclimate in it.

For a comfortable existence of animals, it is necessary that at home, in the room where they live, it is warm. The optimal temperature is 23-28 degrees.
Humidity level is also important. Butterflies do not live long in dry air. Therefore, spray the room and insectarium with water. It is advisable that a few drops fall on each individual. The procedure must be done 1-2 times a day using a regular spray bottle.
Your charges need somewhere to sleep. When free, they will most likely hang out on curtains and plants in the apartment. If you want them to sleep in your house, make a place for them there. To do this, place twigs in the insectarium so that you can sit on them and lower wet cotton wool to the bottom. It is better to put the house in a cool place in the evening, and in a warmer place in the morning.

Children are indescribably delighted when such beautiful and unusual animals appear in the house. Caring for them is not so difficult, you just need to follow some rules. Therefore, if your child wants to have a pet, this is a good option. We explained in this article what butterflies eat and how to breed them at home, so now you can easily deal with them.

Doll

What does a cabbage butterfly look like in the pupal stage? The color is almost the same as that of the butterfly - yellowish-green with black splashes. When transitioning to the pupal stage, the larva is wrapped in threads somewhat reminiscent of silk, and with them it clings to plants. If the folding into a chrysalis did not occur too late, then a butterfly will soon be born. If the atmospheric temperature does not allow the transformation to occur, then the insect enters the diapause stage and overwinters. With the onset of spring, such insects begin their first generation.

For information, diapause is the process of inhibition of physiological processes in an insect with a transition to the stage of suspended animation. The insect remains in this stage for several weeks. During this period, the pupa molts several times, and this process is called complete metamorphosis.

Taxonomy

Cabbage belongs to the genus of garden whites ( Pieris

) within the subfamily Pierinae. Its representatives are characterized by antennae with a capitate club. The wings on the upper side are white with dark spots, the veins are not contrasting. The background of the underside of the wings lacks a clear pattern. The wing veins R4, R5 and M1 have a common trunk. Sexual dimorphism in representatives of this genus is expressed in a more strongly developed dark pattern on the wings of females.

There are several subspecies of cabbage:

Pieris brassicae brassicae is the nominate subspecies. Its range includes the following territories: mainland Europe, the Mediterranean, northern Africa, Turkey and Asia Minor, east to the Urals, the Caucasus and the Zagros. Within the subspecies, some researchers distinguish three subraces - Northern European, Mediterranean and Syrian.

Pieris brassicae azorensis Rebel, 1917. Sometimes considered by some researchers as an independent species. A number of researchers, on the contrary, consider the taxon as an unstable island form, indistinguishable from the nominative subspecies. Endemic to the Azores. The butterflies are similar to the chariclea form of the nominate subspecies with darker undersides of the hind wings. Butterflies of this taxon are usually larger than mainland cabbage butterflies.

Pieris brassicae nepalensis Gray, 1846. Its range includes the following territories: Pamir, from Balochistan, the Himalayas to Northern India and Assam and the lowland areas adjacent to the Himalayas to Yunnan (China). This is one of the most common butterflies of the Himalayas at altitudes of 1000-4000 meters above sea level.

Pieris brassicae ottonis Röber, 1907 Its range includes the following areas: Northern Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan, most of Afghanistan and probably Iran, at high altitudes up to 2500 meters above sea level in the Pamirs.

Pieris brassicae catoleuca Robert 1896. Some researchers consider it as the so-called. Syrian race/subrace of the nominative subspecies. Described from Turkey. The range extends from the Taurus Range (Turkey) south to Asia Minor, including Israel and Cyprus.

Pieris wollastoni to be a subspecies of the cabbages

Butler, 1886. An extremely rare, possibly already extinct taxon with a limited range - endemic to the island of Madeira, where it was confined to the edges, woodlands and clearings of relict Monteverde forests, formed mainly from laurel trees at altitudes of 650-1200 meters above sea level . In most cases, the taxon is considered as an independent species.

Related species

According to the morphological characteristics (appearance) of butterflies, the turnip ( Pieris rapae

).
The latter is distinguished by its smaller size (front wing length 22-30 mm; wingspan 40-50 mm) and the fact that at the ends of its front wings the black color is less intense and the area of the black area is smaller. Also common is the rutabaga whiteweed ( Pieris napi
), which is similar in morphology to the cabbage whiteweed.