Cabbage - a butterfly from the family of whites, which can cause irreparable harm to the harvest of cruciferous plants. Dangerous are only cabbage caterpillars that gnaw through the leaves, which leads to the death of the crop. You will learn about effective methods of pest control and prevention by reading this article.
Type Description
Belongs to the family of whites. 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. It 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 bodies.
- Caterpillars. They can be distinguished by a 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
Butterflies live in Europe, Africa, Asia. In our country, they are distributed practically throughout the entire territory, except for the northern regions. They can be seen in forests, meadows and fields, but gardens are a favorite habitat.
Duration and Life Cycles
There are 4 stages in the life cycle of cabbage butterflies.
Egg
The number of eggs laid by 1 cabbage litter depends on the climate in the region. In areas with a predominant warm climate, butterflies breed more often.
Oviposition occurs from April to September.
At the end of wintering, butterflies immediately begin breeding. After mating, the female lays about 200 eggs on cruciferous plants. Most often, the 1st generation does not harm agriculture, since egg laying occurs on wild cruciferous plants. But the 2nd generation of butterflies prefers to lay eggs in the gardens.
Caterpillar
Depending on the external conditions, it may appear 2-3 weeks after the laying of eggs. As soon as the larvae grow, they spread out over the cabbage leaf and begin to nibble it from the lower side from the edges to the veins.
In the form of a caterpillar, the cabbage can last 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 need 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 at the same time it does not do much harm to plants. She attaches to individual parts of the cruciferous and spends in this form for up to 2 weeks. If the season is coming to an end, the cabbage hibernates and hatch from the cocoon only with the onset of heat.
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.
Lifestyle. What does it eat?
Caterpillars feed mainly on cabbage, but can also harm the harvest of radishes, turnips, fruit plants. A litter of caterpillars is able to completely destroy the crop.
Pests are more active in the dark. In the afternoon, they gather at the base of the head of cabbage.
How to get rid of a cabbage butterfly?
To pest control was effective, you need to remember these tips:
- Integrated struggle. It is recommended to use several methods of extermination of insects at once. Treat not only the affected plants, but also those located nearby.
- Timely detection. You need to periodically inspect crops for pests.
- Follow sowing rules. Some crops may be especially attractive to cabbage plants, which makes nearby plants vulnerable to pests.
- Properly apply the funds. It should be remembered that chemicals are more toxic. If you use them at the stage of head formation, harmful substances can accumulate in the leaves of the plant, which will make it unusable.
Biological
Among the popular methods of biological destruction of pests:
- Shallow bell. This insect parasitizes, laying its eggs in the larvae of the cabbage, which leads to their death. Shallow bellies are capable of killing about 90% of the tracks.
- Trichogram. Another 1 parasite that infects the eggs of the cabbage.
- Flasheria. Disease caused by wax moth bacteria. Infected caterpillars acquire a bright yellow color and soon die.
Attracting birds to the site is ineffective because the caterpillars produce a liquid that is toxic to birds.
You can also use drugs:
- Fitoverm;
- Vermicide;
- Actofeed.
They contain bacteria that are inedible to caterpillars.
Biological methods are effective only with small areas of damage by cabbage.
Chemical
With a massive invasion of pests, it is better to use chemical agents.
Common remedies:
- Karate;
- Spark;
- Kinmix.
Processing is best done in dry and sunny weather, when the street is calm. The lower part of the leaves should be sprayed, since it is there that the caterpillars usually hide.
Be sure to use protective equipment. Care should be taken for the presence of a mask, special glasses, gloves and clothing made of a fabric impervious to poison.
Folk remedies
A simple folk method of getting rid of caterpillars is to collect them manually. But at the same time you need to wear gloves, since the liquid of the tracks causes irritation on the skin. This method is effective if there are few parasites.
Effective recipes:
Conifer concentrate. What to do:
- take 200 g of cones;
- pour 1 liter of hot water;
- insist 1 week;
- strain;
- put in the refrigerator.
For spraying, mix the infusion with water in a ratio of 1 to 10.
Ash and soap. For cooking:
- take 500 g sifted wood ash;
- mix with 10 l of water;
- let it brew for 3-4 hours;
- add 2 tbsp. l liquid soap.
Use the product immediately after manufacture.
Syrup Trap. Recipe:
- take thick sugar syrup;
- mix with yeast in a proportion of 1 part yeast to 5 syrup.
Spread the resulting mass on saucers and place them between the rows. Periodically check how many butterflies are trapped.
Mustard Powder. Procedure:
- take 100 g of mustard powder;
- mix with 10 l of water;
- insist for 2-3 days.
Before use, mix the product with a small amount of water.
The use of wormwood. Instruction:
- take 1 kg of wormwood leaves;
- grind well;
- fill with a small amount of water (1-2 l);
- simmer for 15 minutes;
- strain.
Dilute the broth with 10 liters of water and spray. Reprocessing can only be done after 7 days.
Infusion of Valerian. Mode of application:
- take 1 bottle of pharmacy infusion of valerian;
- mix with 3 l of water.
Spray the leaves with a ready-made solution.
Herbal infusion. What actions to take:
- take 200 g of wormwood, burdock and yarrow;
- pour 2 liters of hot water;
- insist 2-3 days.
Strain well and use.
Prevention methods
The appearance of parasites can be prevented by using simple rules of prevention:
- Flushing of pupae. It is good to wash all the wooden fences around the plot with running water to get rid of the pupae adhering to them.
- Timely weeding. Weeds, especially from the cruciferous family, need to be harvested in the early stages of their appearance. Otherwise, they may attract pests.
- The right neighborhood. You should not plant near radishes, radishes, turnips. It is better to plant marigolds, lemon balm, mint around the plot, whose smell repels the butterfly. You can also plant dill or carrots between the rows, as they attract the natural enemies of the cabbage.
- Shelter for plants. Even in the seedling stage, cabbage can be covered with an impermeable cloth, which will protect against invasion of cabbage.
- Burning plot. In the autumn, after harvesting, you need to burn out the area on which the cabbage grew. This will help improve soil quality and destroy the remaining pupae.
- The use of preventive drugs. During the period of active growth of cabbage, it is necessary to periodically treat the leaves with biological preparations. For example, Fitoverm.
- Tree protection. Nearby trees are also best washed. Trunk with lime.
- Scare away. You can scare away butterflies with the help of half an egg shell, worn on a wooden post. The butterfly takes this design for another representative of the species and decides that the place has already been taken, flies by.
Reviews
To learn more about the effectiveness of methods of prevention and destruction of cabbage, you should get acquainted with 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. Once the caterpillar invasion destroyed almost the entire crop. Since then I use Fitoverm. I treat them with leaves for prevention and in case of small lesions. It is possible to keep the cabbage whole.
Irina, 62 years old. I prefer folk remedies for pest control, as they are more natural and do not affect the quality of vegetables. Coniferous concentrate helps best. And if there are few caterpillars, then I collect them with my hands. The main thing is to wear gloves.
Galina, 45 years old. I believe that the best way to deal with cabbage is timely prevention. Therefore, even in the autumn, I burn the site, and in the spring I plant marigolds around the beds. I prefer to do mixed planting, so I sow carrots between the rows of cabbage. My harvest remains intact.
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In order to protect the crop from the invasion of cabbage, you need to take timely preventative measures. Today, there are a large number of drugs and recipes, the use of which will help to cope with pests.
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Russia. City: Dimitrovgrad
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