#48753
February 5th, 2006 at 11:56 PM
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Joined: Jan 2006
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those little green caterpillers all through my broccolli are so gross! how do you deal with them?
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#48754
February 6th, 2006 at 12:03 AM
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Joined: Jan 2004
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either pick them off or use a Bt aka Dipel aka thuricide (beneficial bacteria) to control them.
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#48755
February 6th, 2006 at 12:04 AM
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Compost Queen!
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Compost Queen!
Joined: Apr 2003
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Suzanne, Are they considered "Cabbage Looper's" that Dan's talking about???
Very curious??
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#48756
February 23rd, 2006 at 06:34 PM
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Joined: Feb 2006
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Originally posted by dan@modernblacksmith: those little green caterpillers all through my broccolli are so gross! how do you deal with them? Just use some netting. Build a frame over your broccolli and cover it with anti bird netting. Stop the butterflies getting at your broccolli in the first place that way they cannot lay any eggs, hence no caterpillers. Works a treat. I've been doing this for years. No need for nasty sprays or anything and you get completely undamaged bug free brassicas.
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#48757
March 8th, 2006 at 04:14 PM
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Joined: Feb 2006
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This will work but some people will not like to do this. Last year I went into my garage and picked all the spider egg sacks I could find. I put them in my garden and in no time I had ALOT of spiders in there. Great thing was ANY bugs that tried to eat the plants got eaten by the spiders so no problems with apids,worms,bugs. The spiders did`nt usually bother the bees so I was well. Who says you have to use poisons to control the pests. With SOOOOOO many spiders I did get a few frogs though but no biggee.
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#48758
March 8th, 2006 at 11:12 PM
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Joined: Apr 2005
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All good ideas. Yes, Weezie, most likely they're cabbage loopers. Larva of the cabbage white butterfly. The Bt, thuricide, that buglady mentioned is not a traditional "poison." It's a bacteria, and only affects caterpillars...very safe to use...usually found at any garden center.
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#48759
March 9th, 2006 at 12:02 AM
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Compost Queen!
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Compost Queen!
Joined: Apr 2003
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I have gotttttt to take a closer look.. I was just researching them, and I know I have the butterfly part, I've got pictures of them all acrossed the radish's I let go to flower... and I saw no green worm.. *and the pictures I see, which are magnified of course, the greeen worms have hairs on them.* The one's I see, devouring my columbines, do not appear to be hairy... but I will have to look closer I guess.. It's a shame, those butterflies were alot of fun.. I loved watching them, they'd flit up and down, and go crazy over those flowers.. and there were several pairs too, and they'd play together... Hmmmmmmmmmphhhhhhhhh!!!
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#48760
March 9th, 2006 at 12:55 AM
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Joined: Apr 2005
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Weezie...I always let a few things go to the worms...I like to have all the butterflies I can!
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#48761
March 9th, 2006 at 01:00 AM
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Joined: Apr 2003
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You know the funny thing is, I didn't know what those butterflies were, and didn't mind them at all, like I said, they were pretty and so full of life and fun.. But, if it's them, *which I'm still debating now after looking at the hairy catapillars, mine are glossy smooth* as to what's eating *or stripping* my Columbines clean... *not the flowers, just the leaves...* And I have several colors of columbines, and I just don't want to have them all gone... because they really only produce one set of good flowers before the greenworms get them...
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#48762
March 9th, 2006 at 01:19 AM
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Joined: Apr 2005
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I'm guesssing those could be skippers. There are tons of different skippers...they'rs smallish, and sort of angular shaped, and flap their wings very rapidly. Can you pick off all but a few? or do you have too many columbines?
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#48763
March 9th, 2006 at 01:35 AM
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Joined: Apr 2003
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Can you pick off all but a few? or do you have too many columbines?
This is only one area where one color is.... I've got to have at least, 11 other sections, of other colors, that they get on to too... I'd be like this at the end of the day, when I try to pick them all off... I don't have any problem of them flowering and re~seeding, that is for sure.. but the plant just looks so bad and I feel so bad for it too... (Leaf minors' get after the leaves first too, so the one's that the leaf minor don't chew, the greenworm does... ) *I literally do do it too..*
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#48765
March 9th, 2006 at 06:45 AM
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Compost Queen!
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Joined: Apr 2003
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Ohhhhhhhhhh, sure, I'd have to see this at dinner time... Thanks Dave.. I'll get to it after supper, I dyin' to see.. I did skip read very quickly, but I didn't see any pictures of the green culprit... *all butterflies*
I will be back to this one...
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#48766
March 9th, 2006 at 09:05 AM
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Joined: Feb 2005
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Those little worms aren't to bad.
I was eating some of my broccoli 2 years ago, I was eating it raw with a little Ranch dressing, and it was after my second or third piece I noticed the worms.
I stopped and went into the kitchen and washed the rest of it REAL good. I didn't tell my wife about it.
She had already finished her pieces.
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#48767
March 9th, 2006 at 09:06 AM
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Joined: Apr 2003
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#48768
March 9th, 2006 at 09:12 AM
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Joined: Feb 2005
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The worms I had were green, the same color as the broccoli.
They are hard to see, so any more I wash it really good, and cut the heads up real good so I can see in to it.
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#48769
March 9th, 2006 at 09:23 AM
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Joined: Apr 2003
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Yep, the one's on my Columbines' blend right in. you don't even know they are there really, until half the plant is gone.. like one day it's there, the next day they are gone.. And my mom gets those ornamental cabbages and they get them too... and those look like mine, only maybe a bit bigger, but hey, the leaves on the cabbage is bigger...so, makes 'em grow more, I guess...
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#48770
March 9th, 2006 at 11:56 PM
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Joined: Apr 2005
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#48771
March 10th, 2006 at 06:36 AM
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Joined: Feb 2005
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Hey with enough Ranch Dressing anything taste good!!!
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#48772
March 10th, 2006 at 06:40 AM
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Compost Queen!
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Compost Queen!
Joined: Apr 2003
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