Cabbage pests: control and prevention

Cabbage is a popular vegetable crop, cultivated since prehistoric times. Even Pythagoras appreciated the medicinal properties of cabbage and was engaged in its selection.
The most common type of cabbage is white cabbage. The beneficial properties and taste of cabbage are appreciated all over the world, therefore it is grown in many countries.
Cabbage is liked not only by humans, but also by many insects. Cabbage pests are so fond of a succulent plant that they are ready to take away all of their harvest from a person.
In this article, we will look at how to prevent numerous pests from eating the entire crop, how to treat cabbage from pests, what remedy for cabbage pests can help, and also consider folk remedies for cabbage pests.

Cabbage pest control: what to do first?

The pests of cabbage are so diverse that it is impossible to answer the question of whether it is more important to fight or prevent. An integrated and systematic approach will help the summer resident and farmer. Having studied the development cycles of insect pests, having identified in what period they are most vulnerable, it is possible to draw up a plan of measures for the prevention and control of pests. Adhering to this plan, even a novice summer resident will be able to grow a rich harvest of this useful vegetable.

It should be remembered that cabbage requires adherence to cultivation techniques. After all, strong plants can themselves resist the invasion of pests. Cabbage farming is simple, it is necessary to water, destroy weeds and mow the grass on the site. The height of the grass should be no more than 8 cm. The main thing is to do it regularly. Many pests begin to live on weeds and grass, and then move on to a more juicy treat. Those pests that hibernate in the soil, as a rule, cannot stand the cold. Therefore, in the fall, it is necessary to dig deep into the ground so that their larvae do not survive. You should also remove all plant debris around, as pupae can hibernate in them. You can use the help of nature. The so-called insecticidal plants will help not only scare away, but also destroy harmful insects.

Cabbage pest control methods can be divided into 3 main types:
- fight with chemicals (chemical)
- fight with biological agents (biological)
- struggle with folk remedies (folk)

Pests of cabbage photos, description

To successfully fight the enemy, you need to "know him by sight."
Cabbage pests are divided into gnawing and sucking. As the names suggest, some cabbage pests gnaw the juicy parts of the plant, while others feed on juices, dwelling on the opposite, most delicate part of the leaves.

A group of gnawing pests - a large group of insects. Consider some particularly common representatives:

Caterpillars of White Butterflies

Caterpillars of white-faced butterflies are exceptionally gluttonous. They eat cabbage leaves whole, leaving only solid veins. In addition, their green discharge has such a strong odor that you can feel it without approaching the garden. It becomes especially strong after watering the plants or after rain, drowning out all other odors.

Cabbage scoop
These pests of cabbage are dangerous for all types of plants.As in the case of white butterflies, the direct pests of cabbage are the caterpillars of the cabbage scoop. However, the butterfly itself is difficult to see because they fly out of cover at night. The scoops lay their eggs on the back of the cabbage leaf. The ripening period to caterpillar is one week. The emerging green or brown caterpillars can eat the cabbage within a few days, leaving only the veins of the leaves. And then they will crawl to the next plant. The scoops overwinter in the soil at a depth of 10 cm in the form of pupae.

Cabbage moth
The little green caterpillars on the cabbage are the cabbage moths - undeniably cabbage pests. Extremely hungry creatures eat cabbage leaves nonstop, around the clock. Cabbage moth can lay about a hundred eggs in one clutch over the summer. From mid-May to late August, up to 6 generations of insects can develop.

Cabbage fly

It is not the flies themselves that harm the cabbage, but their larvae, which are also cabbage pests. Unlike caterpillars, they are very difficult to spot. In May, the cabbage fly lays its eggs in the ground near the plants. A week later, the mature fly larvae begin to eat the lower part of the plant. You can notice the attack of the cabbage fly by the dark gray tint on the leaves, as well as by the wilting of the plant. Unfortunately, with such damage, plant death is inevitable.

Cruciferous flea
These insects were named fleas for their speed. When touching the plant, these cabbage pests jump out of it. They love not only white cabbage, but all types of cabbage. They also do not disdain radish, mustard, radish. Seedlings and young shoots are most nutritious for them. Large plants are not as attractive to fleas.
They hibernate, like scoops, in the soil or in plant debris.

Wireworm, bear, slugs
Wireworms and bears live underground. They damage the roots of plants, which leads to their death. It is very difficult to deal with these pests.
If you see damage to the tops of the leaves on the cabbage, look for slugs. As a rule, cabbage pests hide from the sun in the shade of cabbage leaves. To find them, you need to look into the most secluded corners.

Group of sucking pests
Cabbage pests of this group stick to the undersides of the leaves and suck the sap from the plants.
These include aphids, thrips, and bedbugs.

Aphid

Piercing a leaf with its proboscis, the aphid feeds on plant sap. At the same time, the plant does not receive the necessary substances, and its part, affected by aphids, withers. In addition, this aphid can infect cabbage with various viruses. Aphids overwinter on unharvested heads of cabbage and other cruciferous plants. The fight against aphids begins in April, when the first overwintered wingless founding females fly out. Winged settler females hatch from their larvae, which can fly to the garden and establish colonies on cabbage.

Thrips
Signs of thrips on cabbage are whitening of the leaves and black traces of discharge. The leaves affected by thrips wither, turn brown and dry out. Thrips love not only cabbage, so you should inspect all the plants in the garden. In warm, dry weather, these cabbage pests spread thrips faster, so you should regularly water not only the roots, but also the leaves of the plants.

Bedbugs
The bugs feed on the top leaves of the cabbage. They are not afraid of birds. Cabbage softens from the attack of bedbugs, the heads of cabbage do not develop correctly. If the bugs settle on seedlings, then they eat it completely. In summer, bedbugs can be collected by hand, and in August they already leave for the winter.

When cabbage pests are on the doorstep. How to treat cabbage from pests: how to fight

As mentioned above, only an integrated approach will allow the summer resident to preserve their harvest.
If the prevention of pest infestation has not brought the desired results, other methods of getting rid of insects are used.

Cabbage pest remedy - chemical method

The chemical method is used only as a last resort, since the preparations are difficult to wash off the head of cabbage. It is advisable to apply this method in the first time after planting the seedlings in case of severe infection. There are preparations designed for cabbage processing, these are Bankcol, Fury, Iskra-M. But you can also use means of a wider spectrum of action, such as Alatar, Decis or Aktar. It is necessary to strictly adhere to the attached instructions so that their action is effective, but does not bring significant harm to humans and plants.

Cabbage pest remedy - biological way

The biological method is based on the use of natural enemies of insect pests, for example, nematodes, which parasitize the bodies of insects. The harmful action of bacteria and fungi is also used.
Biopreparations begin to take effect when the weather is warm enough (above 18 degrees), so their use outdoors in early spring is limited. But if the seedlings are in a greenhouse or at home, the use of these drugs is possible.
Biologicals are mixed to increase their range of exposure. Each drug is diluted in a separate container and only immediately before use, the solutions are mixed. For a better effect of the drugs, laundry soap is added to the solution to remove the cabbage film that repels water. And you should refuse from powders and detergents when preparing a solution, they can destroy bacteria and fungi.
When watering or raining, biological products are removed from the plants, therefore, treatments should be carried out regularly, especially in rainy weather. But there are pluses in this. Since soil is a natural habitat for bacteria and fungi, they begin to multiply there. Thus, the protection of cabbage will occur without human intervention, in a natural way.

The most common are the following biologics:
• against cabbage moths, aphids, scoops, cabbage whites and other sucking and gnawing insects - Aktofit (Aversectin-C and Avertin-N). The effect of the drug can be seen after 12 hours;
• against thrips, wireworms, nematodes, cabbage flies, miner flies, larvae of May beetle, bear, locust - Antonem-F, Nemabakt;
• against aphids, bedbugs and other sucking pests - Bitoxibacillin and Bicol;
• against aphids and whiteflies - Verticillin;
• against nematodes - Metarizin and Pecilomycin along with Nemabact;

Folk remedies for cabbage pests

Folk remedies for repelling pests include replanting fragrant herbs in the garden, for example, mint, cilantro, sage. Insects - pests do not like the scent of these plants and they go to other habitats.

To destroy aphids, you can simply use a soap solution. Cabbage leaves are sprayed with a solution, and after a day they are watered abundantly until the soap is completely washed off. To scare off cruciferous fleas, you can mix finely sifted ash with mustard powder and sprinkle with cabbage. You can use tobacco instead of ash.

Use regular baking soda against caterpillars. Sprinkle soda over the cabbage on top, the main thing is not to overdo it.
To quickly collect slugs and snails, you can set up traps for them at night. To do this, pour a low-alcohol sweet drink, for example, beer, fermented jam or compote, on cardboard or newspaper laid on the beds. At night, cabbage pests will gather for a feast, and in the morning they can be collected and destroyed. Alcohol will make it impossible for them to hide at sunrise.

The popular advice also includes spraying between the ridges of substances with a pungent taste and smell: mustard powder, red pepper, black pepper, tobacco. Crushed shells will help from crawling pests.