Caterpillars.............

[nickgreen5]

Hi - new to this game and loving it! Seem to have attracted caterpillars to cabbages etc. I'm trying to pick them off as I see them. Any other suggestions to get rid?  Cheers Nick   

[nickgreen5]

[goodlife]

If I have few about nibling the plants I just slap my brassica leaves to drop the caterpillars on ground..that's about all I do..and it works for me.. ;) ;D
Apparantely caterpillars don't like vibration and as getting away from  predatory wasps (that create fine vibration when aproaching)..they drop themselves on ground to survive..so I've been thinking of buying some sort of vibrating battery operated thing..just to test this claim.. :-X ;D

[Bugloss2009]

obviously use some netting, but make sure the leaves of the plants aren't touching. I don't like killing caterpillars, so I try to get them at the egg stage. Look for them on th underside of the leaves, either in clusters, or pesky ones on their own

[manicscousers]

we're trying garlic spray on the swede etc which are not netted, for an experiment, seems to be working at the mo. All the rest of the brassicas are under debris netting  :)

[goodlife]

I read from some where that brassicas can be sprayed with salty water..plants don't mind it but caterpillars do..
anybody tried this..I keep meaning do it...but never get round to it.. ::)

[Digeroo]

Some people spray them with water laced with washing up liquid.  I keep checking and try and squish the eggs.  The main culprits happen in August when they can suddenly totally strip every leaf.

There is also debris netting. 

Look down the veins of the leaves there is one which is very camouflaged, lies down the centre of the leaf. 

[lincsyokel2]

I put debris netting over every brassica i plant, from the day i plant it. The butterflies dont get a chance to get near my cabbages to lay eggs in the first place, and so i get no caterpillar damage.