Help!! Evil green inch wormey thingummys eating me veg!!!!!!

[WitchypooNo2]

Right I closhed! I closhed everything remotely yummy looking with bog old fleece tents and something has got in and massacred most of the broccolli and has spread to the brussels and savoy cabbage How very dare they!!!!! Last year we got 3 weeny half eaten heads of broccolli out of 15 plants and this year seems to be going the same way. so please help what are the buggers and how can I get rid of them. At the mo I am picking them off one by one and squishing them which is gross but if I can spray them with something organic which will anihilate the little green inch worms!!!!!

So the offending critters are - light green with a lighter green band towards the bottom of them. I can't find any eggs but I have found loads of weeny ones attached to the leaf by a sort of gauze like thin gossimer sheets. they get to about an inch long and seem to have 2 feet at the front and 3 at the back and move like inch worm from disney movies.

Please help me as I want at least some brocc and cabbage this year

Thanks in advance!!

[WitchypooNo2]

Right its a Cabbage looper (cannot believe I just googled caterpillars!!!)

Apparently Dipel - contains bateria that kill caterpillars but is broken down by sunlight is "organic" but this was on a US sight so I am dubious. Any other ideas?

[Wombat]

Dipel (Bacillus Thurigensis) is, to the best of my knowledge, considered organic. You can also try derris dust which, although not as good, does tone the little buggers downa bit.

You can also try planting your brassicas in and around your other stuff and interplanting marigolds to hide the smell of the brassicas.

You can also try putting a barrier in, since the buggers are the larvae of a moth, surrounding your brassicas with an open weave fabric over a frame will keep them from laying their eggs on your crops.

Good luck WP2, they are the bane of my life too!

Nev

[WitchypooNo2]

thanks Nev! Today we spent a whole morning de-caterpillaring the broc, brussels and savoy cabbage. Most of the smaller ones were squished in situ which was kinda grim even tho we did wear glves. The big fat ones were collected up and fed the to the chickens - very satsifying and the chooks loved them!!! but ewwwww what a grim task! I can think of much better ways to spend a Sunday mornin!

[albert onglebod]

Im using Derris on mine.You can get it as liquid to dilute in Wilkinsons.