Cabbage white: 6 ways to deal with a butterfly and cabbage caterpillar
Beautiful butterflies fluttering in spring and summer look completely harmless at first glance. However, many of them belong to those species whose larvae cause serious damage to cultivated plants. Among such insect pests is the cabbage white.
Content
What does a cabbage white look like (photo)
Name: Cabbage or cabbage white
Latin: Pieris cabbageClass: Insects - Insecta
Squad: Lepidoptera - Lepidoptera
 | Habitats: | common species, except for Siberia and the desert |
 | Features: | actively migrates, during the season 2-3 generations |
 | Benefit or harm: | active agricultural pest |
Description of the insect
The cabbage white is a small butterfly. The width of its open wings is 5,5-6 cm. The main color of the wings is powdery white. In the upper part of them there is a black border in the shape of a crescent.
Females also have two black spots on the upper wings. In males, these spots can only be seen on the underside of the wings.
Development cycle
Cabbage whiting.
Before becoming an adult, the insect goes through several stages.
The eggs are ribbed and bottle-shaped. They are painted in bright yellow, lemon color. The length of the egg is 1,25 mm. One female is able to lay about 200-300 eggs. The period of development in the egg stage is from 3 to 16 days.
In the caterpillar stage, the insect reaches a length of up to 5 cm. The color of the caterpillar is yellow-green. The body is covered with multiple hairs, bristles and warts. The head of the caterpillar is pronounced and dark in color. The larvae also have glands on the body that secrete a toxic substance. In the caterpillar stage, the insect remains from 13 to 38 days.
The pupae have an angular shape, painted yellow-green. There are black dots on the sides and back. The pupal development process can take from 9 to 30 days. The pupae can overwinter in the ground on silk mats.
What harm does cabbage white
Great damage to plants is caused by the larvae of the cabbage white. The basis of their diet is made up of cultivated plants belonging to the cruciferous family. The caterpillars that appeared in the garden eat crops such as:
- cabbage;
- swede;
- turnip;
- radish;
- radish;
- turnips;
- horseradish;
- rape;
- mustard.
Methods of dealing with cabbage white
Getting rid of harmful insects is quite difficult.
The most effective methods of dealing with cabbage whites can be divided into mechanical, agrotechnical, biological, chemical and folk.
Mechanical method
This method consists in removing caterpillars from plants by hand. It is simple to perform, but rather time-consuming, so it is suitable only for small plots and private gardens. Most of the larvae will have to be lifted from the ground, as when they sense danger, they curl up and fall from the plants.
Agricultural method
In order not to attract an insect to the site, it is very important to regularly get rid of cruciferous weeds and plant plants that can repel pests. These include:
- tomato;
- eggplant;
- carrot;
- parsley;
- Melissa;
- valerian.
Cleaning up plant debris and deep digging in the autumn will also help get rid of wintering pupae and significantly reduce the butterfly population in spring.
Biological method
The principle of the biological method of struggle is to settle next to its cabbage natural enemies.
| Smallbelly | A small insect that lays eggs in the body of a caterpillar. The parasites that hatch from these eggs feed on the inside of their host. |
| Trichogramma | The parasite also harms the eggs and larvae of the Cabbage White. |
| wax moth bacteria | They infect the larva with the "Flasheria" disease, which leads to the death of the pest. A distinctive feature of an infected caterpillar from a healthy one is a bright lemon color. |
| Ethnomophages | These are beneficial insects that benefit humans by eating pests. Cabbage white is a favorite delicacy of ticks and predatory ground beetles. |
Chemicals
Using specialized preparations is the most effective way to fight. For the destruction of Cabbage whites, the most popular means are:
- Kinmix;
- Fitoverm;
- Aktellik;
- Lepidocide;
- Bitoxibacillin;
- Entobacterin;
- Gomelin;
- Dipel.
Folk remedies
Mankind has been fighting the Cabbage White for many years, and some folk methods of struggle are quite effective. Among them it is worth highlighting:
- solution with tincture of valerian. For preparation, use 500 ml of valerian tincture per 3 liters of water. The finished mixture must be thoroughly sprayed on all affected plants;
- dry mustard and wormwood. During the flowering period of wormwood, it is necessary to collect and dry about 1000 g of its inflorescences. After the wormwood dries, add 100 g of dry mustard and 10 liters of boiling water. The remedy should be infused for 2-3 days. The finished tincture is diluted with cold water in a ratio of 1: 1 and used for processing. Spraying should be done at least once a week;
- field chamomile flowers and laundry soap. Dried flowers of field chamomile are sold in pharmacies. To prepare the tincture, you need 1 kg of flowers and 10 liters of water. They are insisted for 12-24 hours, after which they are filtered and 100 g of laundry soap are added. Another 10 liters of water is added to the finished tincture and used to spray the affected plants.
Preventive measures
Prevention of the appearance of the Cabbage White is the timely destruction of pupae and oviposition. To prevent the spread of the pest, you must perform the following actions:
- periodically inspect the underside of the leaves of cruciferous plants and destroy the eggs found;
- inspect dry branches, tree trunks, walls of barns and other places of possible wintering of pupae;
- regularly carry out spring whitewashing of trunks and main branches of trees.
Conclusion
Cabbage whitefish is not a harmless creature at all and its appearance on the site can mean a serious threat to the future crop. So that the invasion of the bred pest does not reach a catastrophic level, it is necessary to regularly carry out preventive measures and start fighting butterflies in a timely manner.
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