How To Get Rid Of Cabbage Worms Naturally

How to get rid off cabbage worms naturally

Cabbage is one of most vegetables that is suitable in numerous foods, such as soups, salads, omelets, stir-fries, pickles, and many others are cabbage. Cabbage is a favorite additional vegetable because it is easy to find, mixed well among various dishes, and also provides mineral and vitamin nutrients that our body needs. According to this, cabbage is a popular addition to several meals. As a result, market demand for cabbage is increasing, so this is the right choice for the agricultural business. Hence, to protect this precious crop, you’ll need to learn how to get rid of cabbage worms naturally!

Pests are a major issue in cabbage horticulture. Cabbage worms are born from the moth and butterflies cycle, which love eating plants and become a threat to our garden. There are four different types of cabbage worms, including Plutella xylostella, Agrotis ipsilon, Crocidomia binotalis, and Plusia chalcites. They are the main causes of leaf holes, white spots, and brittle stems, and they eventually ruin our plants.

We must pay attention to this issue so it wouldn’t harm harvest season. The easiest way to deal with cabbage worms is by using pesticides, but chemical contamination can reduce the quality of cabbage, improve pest resistance, and even generate secondary pests, so if we use it continuously for a long period term it will disrupt the ecosystem.

In fact, the presence of cabbage worms in plantations is an indication of a healthy ecosystem; pest control naturally is preferred over chemical pest control. Don’t be worried; we will make sure that pesky bugs are out of your lovely garden.

Table of Contents

These are some methods how to get rid of cabbage worms naturally that are more secure and beneficial for your plantation’s environment. We will be your sidekick to eliminate pests properly.

1. Manual Removal

First, this is the simplest way to get rid of cabbage worms from your garden. Even though they are small, it’s still visible, and white or yellow dots can distinguish their eggs. We can remove the worms and their eggs from the plant directly by throwing them into a bucket of soapy water by hand to make sure they drop dead. This method will make you feel satisfied, like doing a treasure hunt; you also can invite your family if you want to try refreshing with something new. make sure to wipe them all and make your garden looks fresh from the oven.

2. Policuture & Companion Plating

Polyculture is the answer to prevent cabbage worms naturally, by using several plants will give a unique look and attractive view, so you will enjoy and comfort while maintaining your garden. Herbal plants with fragrant scents such as thyme, dill, oregano, mint, marigold, and lavender are incredibly good for repelling out the pests away from the garden. Marigolds are a perfect choice to enhance your garden to be more colorful and elegant. Multiple crops can be planted around cabbage, either directly in the field or in pots.

3. Beneficial Insect and Natural Predator

A fundamental component of any ecosystem, especially gardening, is the food chain. One of the best strategies to get rid of cabbage worms naturally is by using the several sworn preys of cabbage worms, such as parasitic wasps, predatory beetles, yellow jackets, and green lacewings. You can release thricogramma wasps to devour their eggs. Chickens and ducks also love to eat the cabbage worms, and this can be done in the late season when the plant has already grown large enough so it won’t cause any harm to your garden.

4. Safeguard with Row Covers

Some gardening items can be used to get rid of cabbage worms. Row cover will protect your crops to prevent cabbage worms naturally. They are no longer allowed to enter your garden, so worm eggs on plants can be avoided. By using a row cover, insects will feel uncomfortable, especially on the leaves, thanks to the silver part on the top side, which have to reflect the light. Like a barrier, besides worms, even the other huge creatures won’t bother your favorite garden anymore.
Furthermore, in the dry season, the row cover will keep the soil moist since it prevents water from evaporation and avoids puddles in the rainy season, which can lead to dead roots. This is the solution to raising yields because a crop’s soil and pest management are crucial components in the garden environment.

5. Organic pesticides

Plants will get damaged from the usage of pesticides, but this is not the case if you use organic pesticides because the substances derived from plant extracts are safer and easy to decomposable. There are three organic substances that can be used to get rid of cabbage worms. There are neem oil, Bacillus thuringiensis (BT), and cornflour.

Neem oil, which is made from neem extract, will kill other minor pests and can keep cabbage moths away, but it can’t get rid of bugs that have developed into caterpillars and must be applied consistently every one to two weeks.

Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) is a bacteria that can eliminate caterpillars that are prevalent in the soil. BT can be used as a bio-pesticide to get rid of cabbage worms. These bacteria will disrupt a caterpillar’s digestive system, causing a sharp drop in appetite that will subsequently kill the cabbage worm, but BT only affects larvae and worms. It is safe to use and does not harm the ecology.
Cornflour also can be used as an alternative to organic pesticides. We can sprinkle the corn flour directly or mix it with water and spray it on plants. Cornflour will make pest difficult to climb stems and leaves. Worms that ingest cornflour will swell and die.

6. Vinegar for killing cabbage worms

Vinegar can be used as a herbicide and fungicide on plants as well as a food additive. Spray the stems and leaves at night by mixing ¼ tablespoon of vinegar and ¾ water. Acetic, tartaric, and citric acids in vinegar can be used to eliminate sprouts. It will not kill cabbage worms but is effective in repelling any insects instead of cabbage worms. To improve the substrate and control soil pH, you can mix 1 liter of water with one tablespoon of vinegar and water it directly into the ground. As a note, don’t use it in large amounts because not all plants are compatible with vinegar.

7. Pheromone traps

Pheromone traps can be used to catch adult moths, especially during the breeding period, and can significantly reduce pest populations on a large scale. The pheromone trap is a specially designed plastic jar in which a synthetic sex pheromone compound is hung at the top, and soapy water is placed at the bottom. Trap installation is carried out when the plants are seven days old, and the pests that attack have been identified.

8. Diatomaceous earth

Diatomaceous earth is a substance that can be used as an insecticide. Pest insects like aphids, thrips, ants, mites, earwigs, bed bugs, beetles, and snails can all be eliminated with diatomaceous earth. To these insects, diatomaceous earth is deadly dust with microscopic sharp edges that cut through the insect’s protective layer and dry it out. One of the benefits of diatomaceous earth for insect control is that insects have no way of building resistance to it.