DigitalVinyl wrote in message
...
My broccoli all have little holes in the leaves. I've just
hand-cleaned the undersides of tiny green catepillars. Which pest is
this? This is my first year with brocolli and this is a new bug for
me. They are very fond of the broccoli but arent' on any of the
cauliflower yet(right next to broccoli, but they are still
signifcantly smaller plants though).


DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email)
Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound
2nd year gardener

You have one of three species of what "we English" call Cabbage Whites:
1) large cabbage white buttefly (Pieris brassicae); 2) small cabbage white
butterfly (Pieris rapae); 3) cabbage moth (Mamestra brassicae).

All have two generations during summer. Caterpillars of the large cabbage
white are yellow with black markings. The small cabbage whie is pale green
with a velvety appearance. Cabbage moth caterpillars are green or brown
without any obvious hair covering. Removing the caterpillars by hand is
recommended, alternatively spray plants with either permethrin or pyrethrin.

I'm an organic gardener, and I find that putting a mesh tent (my mother's
old lace curtains) over the plants prevents the butterflies from getting to
the plants. They're too stupid to look under the net.

If they do get under and lay their eggs (little yellow things on the
undersides of leaves), I just rub them off. And the butteflies get trapped
so you can kill them.

OK, I know you can't do it for five acres or whatever, but this method works
fine in a kitchen garden.

s.