Photo of Small White Butterfly (Pieris rapae)
Photo of Small Cabbage Caterpillar blending in with the base of the leaf.
Photo of what I think may be cabbage aphids?
Photo of the waste that the small cabbage caterpillars have left behind.
I did some research on organic pest control. These are some of the methods suggested:
- Physically remove caterpillars and drop them in a jar of kerosene.
- Physically remove and crush caterpillar eggs and larvae
- Physically remove affected leaves
- Cover plants with insect-proof netting
- Invite natural predators like birds to the garden by using bird feeders, bird baths, planting dense brush that provide birds security, etc.
- Spray Bacillus thuringiensis, a naturally occurring bacterium that only kills caterpillars and not the predatory insects, above and below the leaves.
- Use companion planning methods
I will have to figure out the right combination of methods to get this problem under control. Wish me luck!
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