Pest on crop
Imported Cabbageworm on cauliflower
Pieris rapae
Velvety green caterpillars that chew large irregular holes in brassica leaves and bore into heads. Adults are the small white butterflies seen fluttering through the garden.
- Pest
- Imported Cabbageworm
- Scientific name
- Pieris rapae
- Crop
- Cauliflower
- Total hosts
- 9
Imported Cabbageworm on cauliflower
Detailed guidance for this section is being prepared. Check back soon.
Signs on cauliflower
- ▸ Large irregular holes in foliage
- ▸ Green frass between leaves and in cabbage heads
- ▸ Velvety light-green caterpillars with a faint yellow stripe
- ▸ White butterflies hovering over plants
IPM controls
- ✓ Floating row cover from transplant through harvest
- ✓ Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) applied weekly during peak flight
- ✓ Hand-pick caterpillars and crush eggs
- ✓ Encourage parasitic braconid wasps (Cotesia)
- ✓ Trap crops with collards or mustard at field edges
Other crops affected by imported cabbageworm
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