In article ,
songbird wrote:

Billy wrote:
...
where is this quoted from?

Larvae of the cabbage butterfly are green and very hairy, with an almost
velvet like appearance. Older larvae may be up to an inch long and often
have one faint yellow-orange stripe down their backs and broken stripes
along the sides. Compared to other caterpillars, cabbageworms move
slowly and are sluggish but they feed voraciously on both the outer and
inner leaves, often feeding along the midrib, at the base of the wrapper
leaves, or boring into the heads of cabbage. After 2 to 3 weeks of
feeding, larvae pupate attached by a few strands of silk to stems or
other nearby objects; pupae are green with faint yellow lines down the
back and sides; there is no spun cocoon. The adult cabbage butterfly is
white with one to four black spots on the wings; they are often seen
fluttering around the fields. The whitish, rocket-shaped eggs are laid
singly on the undersides of leaves.

Natural enemies can assist significantly in the control of imported
cabbageworms. Important parasites include the pupal parasite Pteromalus
puparum; the larval parasites Apanteles glomeratus, Microplitis
plutella, and several tachinid flies; and egg parasites in the
Trichogramma genus. Viruses and bacterial diseases are also sometimes
important control factors in the field.


and this too? quoted from?

TACHINID FLY

(many species)

DESCRIPTION

Tachinid flies are North America's largest and
most important group of parasitic flies, with at
least 1300 species in the U.S. Adult tachinid flies
resemble small houseflies and may be covered in
dark bristly hairs. Their bodies measure anywhere
from 1/3" to 1/4". Adult tachinids are commonly
found pollinating flowers and resting on leaves.
The adults are important pollinators and the larvae
consume incredible amounts of pests.

LIFE CYCLE

Tachinid flies are parasites. Some female tachinid
flies lay their eggs on the bodies of host insects,
after which the eggs hatch and the larvae tunnel
inside and excavate the host's body. Other
species deposit live larvae directly into the hosts.
And still other tachinids lay eggs on plants in
hopes that the eggs will be digested by a host
insect (caterpillars in particular) and gain access
that way.

PESTS THEY CONTROL

Tachinid fly larvae help rid your garden of:

Caterpillars of many kinds (including cabbage
worms and Gypsy moth), Colorado potato beetles,
corn ear worms, cucumber beetles, cutworms,
earwigs, four lined plant bugs, Japanese beetles,
Mexican bean beetles, sawfly larvae, squash
bugs, tobacco budworms.

Larval tachinid flies begin to consume their hosts by
eating non-essentia tissue first; as a result the host
will continue to grow and feed normally--for a
while. Only when this material is fully consumed,
will the larvae turn to eating vital organs. After all,
it's in the tachinid larvae's best interest to allow
their host to live as long as possible so they can
grow fat and sassy. The larvae then pupate into
adults either inside or outside their prey's body.


HOW TO ATTRACT AND KEEP THEM

Preferring to feed on nectar from small flowers,
tachinid flies are lured to habitats rich in flowering
herbs, especially those in the dill family: cilantro,
dill, fennel, parsley, and Queen Anne's lace
are very attractive. They also enjoy nectar from
members of the daisy family including: Aster,
chamomile, feverfew, ox-eye daisy and Shasta
daisy. Flowering buckwheat is said to be another
good draw.

we have tons of herbs flowering most of the season.
right now the mints, oreganoes, thymes are full of
bees. many different species of bees too, i'm glad
to see.

i don't let queen-anne's-lace grow here, but i
could tolerate fennel, dill, cilantro, parsley.
also, plenty of buckwheat scattered around.

also have shasta daisy and chamomile in places.
asters grow wild, and we try to keep a few plants
going in the gardens, but they don't seem to do
well in our soil. the one's in the ditches do
much better.

will have to search for pictures of them as i
probably have seen them about...


songbird

I augment my herbs with alyssum to attract beneficial insects.

Otherwise, you may want to look at
http://www.farmerfred.com/plants_that_attract_benefi.html

For those who may have just tuned in, this part of what is called
INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT.
--
Palestinian Child Detained
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzSzH38jYcg

Remember Rachel Corrie
http://www.rachelcorrie.org/

Welcome to the New America.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA736oK9FPg