Get Rid of Cabbage Loopers Using Organic Methods

Gardening is a wonderful hobby. Not only is it relaxing to work in the garden, but you also can grow fresh produce for you and your family to enjoy. When pests invade your garden, it is no fun. The cabbage looper is one of the pests that can destroy your garden plants. Here are some organic ways to get rid of them and keep them out of your garden.

Cabbage looper adults have a wing span of about one and a half inches long. They are mottled gray-brown moths with a silvery, V-shaped spot in the middle of each forewing. They fly late in the evening and are difficult to see. The larvae are green caterpillars with pairs of wavy, white or light yellow lines on their backs and one line along each side. They are found throughout all of North America.

The adult moths will appear from the cocoons in May and lay their eggs. These eggs will hatch in three or four days and the resulting larvae will feed for two to three weeks. Then they will pupate in cocoons for about two weeks. In one growing season, there may be several generations of cabbage looper born in your garden.

Because of their name, it is quite obvious what plants they will attack. In addition to cabbage and cabbage-family plants, they also enjoy dining on beets, celery, lettuce, peas, spinach, tomatoes, and flowers such as carnations and nasturtiums. The caterpillars damage the plants by chewing large holes in the leaves. If there is a large amount of them, they can ruin the entire plant. The cabbage looper larvae do the most damage during the last few days of their development

You can pick the caterpillars from the plants by hand several times a week. Do this during the brightest part of the day. The caterpillars are easier to spot when the plant is dry. Water beads from watering or dew can camouflage the cabbage loopers and you will miss them. It is recommended to spray with Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki, also. Attract allies to your yard with pollen and nectar plants. The predatory and parasitic insects you attract will help you fend off the cabbage loopers. Beneficial insects prefer tiny flowers such as those on the parsley, dill, fennel and coriander plants. Alyssum and tansy will also attract some allies.

Northern gardeners should start their cabbage, and other affected plants, indoors and plant them outside early. This will help you to avoid the peak in caterpillar population. And, at the end of the season, bury spent cabbage plants. This will destroy any cocoons that are on the plants and keep the adults from emerging in the spring to lay their eggs.

Using organic methods to get rid of pests will help keep your vegetable produce chemical free, which is much healthier for anyone who is consuming them. Hopefully, these tips will help you get, and stay, rid of the pesky cabbage loopers in your garden.