Caterpillars - or lack of them

[Millymollymandy]

Compared to the last two years we've hardly got any problems with the cabbage white caterpillars on the brassicas here - I've squidged a few here and there but not much, and my nasturtiums have done better than any other year and have taken over completely all my currant bushes on one side and a row of strawbs and half a plot on the other side of the path.

As I haven't seen loads of threads here complaining either I'm just wondering if everyone else is having a blessed caterpillar squiding free autumn too?

[fifi folle]

That's cause they're all in my garden! I have spent hours squishing them!!! I had a beautiful pot of rocket which disappeared over night, there were dozens of them in just one wee pot. Having moved from the city to a smaller town beside fields I am astounded by the increase!!! That and the batallions of snails I have exterminated...

[Odsox]

Mine too, I've been absolutely inundated with them this year, not just cabbage whites but at least 5 different types on all my brassicas.
Plus, I still have them even though I haven't seen a butterfly lately, the eggs must take a while to hatch.
I'm rather pleased winter is coming.

[Green Aura]

I've not had any brassicas to tempt them in But we've still got loads of peacock butterflies - what do they eat/lay on?

[ina]

While I was "farm sitting" in August, I spent hours collecting them off the nasturtiums around the house... And then trying to catch butterflys under large sheets of enviromesh - not a lot of fun! Most of the brassicas were ok, though (all under cover).

[Millymollymandy]

Oh! Well I'll just count my lucky stars then. We still have loads of mostly Red Admirals about plus a few Peacocks and Commas, they are all having a whale of a time eating my rotting peaches! Bees love them too. I haven't seen a Cabbage White for ages though. Anyway still have absolutely loads of flowering plants in the garden for the nectar lovers.

[Arwel]

I too was inundATed by the little sods. Squished about 100 one day only to find they were back the next. My summer cabbages were decimated. The caterpillars then recently teamed up with the slugs and launched a joint assault against my winter cabbage and brassicas. I collected a jar full, but my chickens are far too snobby to lower themselves to slugs and caterpillars...gonna have to start limiting their corn intake i think...i'd really like to coexist in some kind of enlightened hippy state with the caterpillars and slugs, really don't think it's gonna happen though. I've been looking at nematodes as some kind of final solution...anybody on selfsufficientish tried nematodes? any advice? ta

[oldjerry]

Nematodes are good against slugs but in my experience only in a given area.ie. inside a tunnel or on a given raised bed.They aint cheap,personally I think slug control is a long term exercise,needs to be approached in a variety of ways,and if all else fails,place hostas around your garden as the little b------s will always eat them first!

[MKG]

I'm surprised. I've seen only a handful of Cabbage Whites this year, and I've had absolutely no problem with caterpillars of any description. Having said that, my neighbour (who knows everything there is to know about gardens) did cram 60 cabbage plants into a 4x4 (feet, that is) plastic raised bed thingy placed in the full shadow of a 40-foot high conifer.

Maybe that's the proper way to do sacrificial planting.

Mike

[oldjerry]

Mike, your neighbour sounds like a barrel of laughs,cant you get them on here,then they could share their wisdom with all of us!

[Jerseymum]

Hundreds of CWs here: they were even cheeky enough to have flown into the bathroom window and lay on my plants in there. Didn't notice them until we stareted finding caterpillar poo on the windowsill. Loads of admirals, but less since we chopped out the buddlea (sp) growing through from next door.
Sarah

[Puddleduck]

I've just found hundreds of the little devils on my winter brassicas, don't know where they've come from as we've not seen many butterflies this summer, but they're sneaky. Must be covert caterpillars. And yes, they're CW's, bane of my life!!! Does banging them between two bricks count as pesticide free control? Not very tolerant but they're eating my food!!

[grahamhobbs]

Grow nasturiums, cabage white prefer them to brassicas, not a 100% diversion but pretty good. The best diversion for slugs I've found is the low growing mat forming creeping Thyme, slugs love it and of an evening you can easily see and pick them off as they graze on the top. Also they seem to have no effect on the Thyme.

[wulf]

Where do caterpillars hide? From visits to my polytunnel (complete with pest control of the sharp, pointy variety) it seems that caterpillars are bigger culprits than slugs in the war on the lettuce and other things I am growing in there. Also, they appear to be fairly large (an inch or so long). Where can they be lurking and is there anything I could add to my slug pub to tempt them in?

Wulf