arghhh these white butterflies are driving me nuts! this year my garden has been amazing apart from broccoli, cauli and brussel sprouts, they are eaten alive with white butterflies! they are everywhere, eggs, poo whatever it is as all over the plant, hole all over it! What can I do to try and keep them away? I have been covering them with some bug netting but the little suckers still get thru somehow! thanks
cantabman1,
Jan 23, 8:24am
Derrest Dust, [not spelt correctly] But strange as it may sound, you will still get good heads , if you keep feeding, and watering them around the roots. I also like getting the butterflies with a tennis/squash racket; it is great fun!
oh_hunnihunni,
Jan 23, 8:25am
Don't grow brassicas in butterfly season.
happychappy50,
Jan 23, 8:46am
I have used frost cloth,it is a physical barrier & works well water can get through & as the plants grow they push up the cloth.Also I don’t grow brassicas at this time of the yr,just put seed in the other day,so once they are ready to transplant most white butterfly has dropped off as it becomes too cool for them.
holly-rocks,
Jan 23, 10:32am
This! I plant in Autumn as there isnt many around :)
harrislucinda,
Jan 23, 11:32am
seems to be a lot arriving now and put dust under the leaf where they lay eggs
starseeker,
Jan 23, 4:45pm
Derris dust. This is actually made from natural products, I understand. Check container for with-holding time before eating. Reapply after rain
chic_style,
Jan 23, 5:31pm
cool thanks all, ive sown a new lot of seeds yesterday so by he time they are big enough like you say butterflies should be gone! ill give these ones to our sheep, the are too far gone to eat! thanks
brightlights60,
Jan 23, 5:34pm
If I ever get anything eating anything in my garden, I reach for pyrethrum based insecticides. Natural and work.
cleggyboy,
Jan 23, 6:30pm
The IDIOTS introduced a wasp to clean up the white butterfly caterpillar, and what happened, the bloody wasp decide the monarch caterpillar was more tastier.
mark_g,
Jan 7, 11:04am
OP, possibly too late to help now, but you can grow sacrificial plants in among your veges. I grow kale, only two or three plants every year dotted among my vege patches. I hate the stuff, but as a sacrificial plant it is brilliant. The butterflies and other bugs LOVE it. Just looking at the patch you can see the kale is being eaten alive but very nearby silver beet and other stuff is pristine. I also have nasturtiums for the same reason.
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