{"id":2828,"date":"2021-08-16T13:12:11","date_gmt":"2021-08-16T20:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/?p=2828"},"modified":"2021-08-16T13:12:11","modified_gmt":"2021-08-16T20:12:11","slug":"natural-controls-for-cabbage-whites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/2021\/08\/natural-controls-for-cabbage-whites\/","title":{"rendered":"Natural Controls For Cabbage Whites"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Fun craft project with kiddos<\/p>\n

Of Kale And Cabbage Butterflies<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cabbage Whites, Cabbage Moths, Cabbageworm, all are names for the very common (yet introduced) Cabbage White Butterfly (Pieris rapae). Under two inches wide, white or cream with distinctive black dots on their wings, Cabbage Whites thrive in my garden, fluttering amongst the flowers and swooping down to-uh oh, lay eggs on my kale, broccoli, and cauliflower. Since I grow many kinds of kale and other brassicas, any damage is spread between many plants. I never worry much about a few nibbled leaves and it doesn\u2019t really bother me to discover a clutch of eggs on the underside of foliage. Extra protein, right? The caterpillars are not so easy to overlook, but it\u2019s simple enough to pick them off. You definitely do want to pick them off your broccoli and cauliflower because the larvae poop stains cauliflower curds and broccoli buds, which is not appetizing.<\/p>\n

This is a very dry year and a lot of little critters are finding good pickings in well watered gardens like mine. While I\u2019m happy to host a constant haze of pollinators, I\u2019m not so pleased that a LOT of Cabbage Whites are calling my garden home. Yes, they\u2019re pretty and kinda charming as they swirl in their spiraling mating dances, but it\u2019s getting to be a bit much. What to do? I recently heard about making Cabbage White decoys from paper or white plastic; they\u2019re supposed to coax incoming females to move on, since the girls are thought to prefer less crowded places. After doing some research, I spent a happy afternoon making dozens of decoys and later got enthusiastic help from my grandkids as well. If you want to try your hand, here\u2019s a good explanation:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/goodseedco.net\/blog\/posts\/cabbage-butterfly-decoy<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Inserting cloth covered floral wires makes the butterflies flutter<\/p>\n

However<\/strong><\/p>\n

As I did a little MORE research, I found a counter argument from a very reputable source debunking the idea that Cabbage Whites are actually territorial and challenging the usefulness of the decoys. Here\u2019s the debunk:<\/p>\n

MothBusters: Testing a Common Myth About a Small Butterfly<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n