Home Remedy for Cabbage Worms

Any vegetable gardener that has grown cabbages or vegetables within the cabbage family such as broccoli or cauliflower, has come up against the dreaded pest the cabbage worm. Seasoned gardeners have natural ways of doing away with this vegetable destroyer.

Cabbage Worm Features

This smooth-skinned caterpillar is small and light green. A cabbage worm is the larva of the white cabbage butterfly people often see flitting around vegetable gardens in the summer.

Signs of Cabbage Worms in the Garden

Holes in cabbage, broccoli, or cauliflower leaves that make the vegetable look like Swiss cheese.

Time Cabbage Planting

Plant cabbage before the frost date in your area has passed. Cabbage harvested in the spring very often escapes cabbage worm attack. Because cabbage worms tend to dislike red cabbage, consider planting this variety instead of the green type.

Flour as Pest Control

Dust the cabbage leaves with white flour. The best time to do this is right after it rains or in the morning while there is still dew. The cabbage worms eat the flour, become bloated and die.

Protection

If the cabbage crop is planted in its own bed, cover all the cabbage with a row cover as a physical barrier.

Use Natural Enemies

The cabbage worm's natural enemies are tachinid flies, wasps and spiders. Encourage beneficial insects into your yard by not using pesticides and planting native vegetation.