Cabbage white butterfly in the garden: how to prevent and control

Pests of cabbage plants: the cabbage white butterfly

The cabbage white butterfly is a butterfly and a frequent guest in our gardens. It is therefore all the more important to protect your cabbage plants from infestation. You can find out more about the appearance and development of the cabbage white butterfly below.

Small & large cabbage white butterfly: Cabbage white butterfly eggs

There are large and small cabbage white butterflies. Both butterfly species belong to the white butterfly family (Pieridae). They are difficult to distinguish from each other. The large cabbage white (Pieris brassicae) is white to light yellow, has two black dots on its wings and black wing tips. The small cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae) is white-yellowish, has a black spot on its wings and also black wing tips. It is somewhat more common in gardens, as it is less specialized in its choice of food than the large cabbage white butterfly.

The cabbage white butterfly lays its eggs from spring to summer on the leaves of cabbage and other plants, from which the cabbage white butterfly caterpillars hatch after approx. 2 - 4 weeks. The first cabbage white butterflies can be seen in the garden from March. As caterpillars are very hungry after hatching, an entire cabbage plant is quickly eaten, especially when they are still small. The butterfly lays the yellowish-green eggs of the large cabbage white in groups, while the eggs of the small cabbage white are laid individually.

When does the cabbage white lay its eggs?

Female cabbage white butterflies usually lay aparticularly large number of eggs on plants between July and August. However, depending on the weather conditions, eggs can also be laid on your plants a little earlier or later (sometimes as early as April/May). These are usually laid on the underside of leaves. You should therefore look under the leaves when checking your plants.

Cabbage butterfly caterpillar: how to recognize them

The butterfly feeds on flower nectar, but does not eat the cabbage plants itself, but its caterpillars. These hatch after 2 - 4 weeks from the butterfly eggs that the cabbage white butterfly lays on cabbage plants. You can recognize the infestation by holes in the leaves of your cabbage, eaten leaf edges, traces of droppings on leaves or by the yellow to green-black caterpillars on your plants.

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What do cabbage white caterpillars eat?

Caterpillars like to eat tasty leaves from vegetable plants in the garden. Depending on the type of caterpillar, they have different tastes. Leafy vegetables such as cabbage are particularly popular. Initially, the caterpillars feed on the outer leaves of your vegetables. While the caterpillars of the large cabbage white butterfly travel in groups and usually only eat the outer leaves, the caterpillars of the small cabbage white butterfly make their way to the heart of your plants over time.

Once the caterpillars have reached the heart of your plants, it is almost impossible to save your plants. You should therefore act quickly in the event of an infestation and collect the caterpillars from your plants immediately.

The caterpillars of the cabbage white butterfly are particularly fond of eating:

• Cabbages (cauliflower, broccoli, kale, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, pointed cabbage, white cabbage)
• Nasturtium
• Caper family
• Foxtail family

White butterflies in the garden: What helps against the cabbage white butterfly?

If you see white butterflies flying in your garden, you should take a closer look. This is usually the cabbage white butterfly, which is widespread here. It is best to protect your cabbage plants from the butterflies. There are various ways to prevent the cabbage white butterfly from laying its eggs on your plants, which we will explain below.

Keeping cabbage white butterflies away and preventing them: protecting cabbage leaves

You should check your plants regularly for egg or caterpillar infestation. If your plants are already infested with caterpillars, you should collect them as quickly as possible. It is best to wear gloves and move the caterpillars far enough away from your garden (at least 25 m) so that they cannot come back. In combination with crop protection nets, this is often the most effective method of protecting your plants from pest infestation.

Fighting cabbage white butterflies: home remedies against the pest

Garlic powder, seaweed lime, tobacco ash and stone meal should also help to keep the cabbage white butterfly away from your plants. The caterpillars and butterflies of the cabbage white butterfly do not like the smell of the powders and therefore stay away from your plants. Instead, dust your plants with the powder. However, this must be sprinkled again after heavy or repeated rainfall (from approx. 20 mm).

Some plant dips or plant decoctions, such as tansy, are also said to deter the cabbage white butterfly. However, you should not use nettle slurry on cabbage white butterflies, as the butterfly loves the smell of the slurry and is attracted to it.

We strongly advise against the use of pesticides, as these usually not only harm the cabbage white butterfly, but also other beneficial insects, birds and animals.

Mixed cultivation against cabbage white butterflies: Companion plants for cabbage

In addition to providing plenty of variety in the bed, a mixed crop also has advantages when it comes to controlling pests and diseases. The cabbage white butterfly is confused by strong smells such as celery or tomatoes, which is why it is worth planting these in a mixed crop with cabbage. A mixed crop does not offer complete protection, but can help to minimize damage to plants. You can find a list of good and bad neighbors in our article Mixed cultivation with cabbage.

Plants against cabbage white butterflies: planting celery & tomatoes

Strong-smelling plants such as celery or tomatoes are particularly suitable against the cabbage white butterfly. Their intense smell confuses cabbage white butterflies. This makes it harder for them to find your cabbage plants and the plants are less at risk of being infested with the pest.

Other odor-intensive plants and herbs that go well with cabbage are, for example:

They are ideal for edging flower beds to distract cabbage white butterflies from your plants.

Tomato leaves against cabbage white butterfly eggs on cabbage leaves

Tomato leaves can also help to prevent eggs being laid on the leaves of your cabbage plants. To do this, make a cold water extract or mulch your plants with the leaves or shoots of tomato plants. However, you should mulch regularly with fresh leaves so that the smell remains intense. You make the cold water extract by soaking approx. 1 kg of fresh leaves and shoots in 10 liters of water and leaving to infuse for 1-2 days. The extract is then strained and sprayed undiluted onto your plants. Ideally, you should do this on a cloudy day.

Nasturtium against cabbage white butterflies

Nasturtium is a good neighbor for cabbage plants because it serves as a kind of bait plant and protects your cabbage from infestation by the cabbage white butterfly. Nasturtium is even tastier for the caterpillars of the cabbage white butterfly than cabbage, which is why the cabbage white butterfly prefers to lay its eggs on the leaves of the nasturtium. This means that cabbage plants are spared.

Use crop protection nets against cabbage pests

A good way to protect your cabbage plants from cabbage white butterfly infestation is to cover the plants with crop protection netting. The close-meshed nets make it difficult for the cabbage white butterfly to lay its eggs on your plants. This also makes it harder for other pests, such as slugs and snails, to get to your plants. You can find out more about snails in the garden in our article Controlling snails.

The nets should be stretched over the plants after planting or as soon as the first leaves appear after sowing. You can find out more about growing cabbage in the garden and other pests and diseases in our article Planting cabbage. These then remain on the plants for the entire cultivation period and are only removed when caring for and weeding your cabbage.

However, it is important to check your plants for infestation before covering them with netting and to remove the eggs before covering them. You should also weigh down the netting so that the moths cannot reach the plants from below. Nevertheless, check your plants regularly for butterfly eggs in case the cabbage white butterflies have found a way to get to your plants.

Beneficial insects against cabbage white butterfly caterpillars: predators

Like most other insects, the cabbage white butterfly has some natural enemies that curb its spread. These include, for example, some predatory beetles and ground beetles, shrews, hedgehogs and also chickens, some birds and ichneumon wasps, which eat the butterfly's caterpillars. You can find out how to attract birds to your garden in our article on ideas for a bird-friendly garden.

Ichneumon wasps against cabbage white butterflies

In contrast to their relatives, parasitic wasps are smaller and narrower. They do not sting and are harmless to humans. Like wasps, they have a typical wasp waist. They also have a long laying stinger on their abdomen, which makes them easy to recognize. They are parasites and lay their eggs in caterpillars such as the cabbage white butterfly. The young larvae then eat the caterpillars from the inside and overwinter in the hollow bodies of the caterpillars. You should therefore take care not to damage such shells in winter so that the ichneumon wasps survive. Cut branches and thickets provide shelter and protection. You can also buy parasitic wasps in shops, but in general you should always introduce beneficial insects with care. A garden is a sensitive ecosystem that can become unbalanced as a result. We therefore only recommend using beneficial insects in cases of very heavy infestation and when other means no longer help. You can find out more about parasitic wasps and other beneficial insects in our article Beneficial insects: Insects & other animals in the garden.

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Cover picture by Anna Sulencka on Pixabay.