As its name suggests, the cabbage white butterfly loves brassicas. Its caterpillars eat the leaves and heads of plants bare, which is why the butterfly is treated as a pest in the vegetable garden. It can be discovered as early as April and is easily recognized by its white wings.
- The cabbage white butterfly prefers to lay its eggs on cabbage plants and other cruciferous plants. Nasturtiums are also endangered.
- The caterpillars eat both the leaves and the actual plants, causing great damage.
- The most effective approach is targeted prevention, for example through plant protection nets and regular collection of eggs and caterpillars.
- Even strongly scented plants, planted in mixed cultures between endangered plants, deter the butterfly from laying eggs.
Identify cabbage white butterfly
There is no such thing as “the” cabbage white butterfly, because there are two different species from the white butterfly family (Latin Pieridae). The large cabbage white butterfly (lat. Pieris brassicae) has a whitish-yellow color and typically lays its eggs in clutches of up to 200. The yellow-green and black spotted caterpillars can grow up to five centimeters long. The small cabbage white butterfly (Latin: Pieris rapae) is not necessarily smaller than its “larger” relative, but can be distinguished from it by some other characteristics. This species lays its eggs individually, and the light green caterpillars, up to 3.5 centimeters long, remain somewhat smaller.
In this article you will find out how you can recognize and distinguish between the two types of cabbage white butterfly. We also provide you with information about the butterflies' lifestyle, because knowledge of this and the resulting prevention is the best protection for your cabbage plants. You should become active at the latest when you see the first butterflies buzzing through the garden in spring - then it doesn't take long until it is swarming with ravenous caterpillars and the first damage caused by feeding becomes visible.
Small or Large Cabbage White? Similarities and differences
The small cabbage white butterfly is slightly more common than the large cabbage white butterfly
The differences between the large and small cabbage white are not particularly great, especially since they occupy the same host plants, cause the same damage and are also controlled in the same way. The small cabbage white butterfly is only slightly more common because it is less specialized and therefore has a wider range of food plants available to it. The following overview shows you how to distinguish between the two types of cabbage white butterfly.
| Small Cabbage White Butterfly | Large cabbage white butterfly | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Pieris rapae | Pieris brassicae |
| Wingspan | 40 to 50 millimeters | 50 to 60 millimeters |
| Coloring – Butterfly | white with dark gray edges, one or two gray spots on the forewings, one gray spot on the hindwings | Similar, but larger wing spots and more pronounced dark pollination |
| Coloring – caterpillars | light to dull green, yellowish stripes on sides and back, short hair, up to approx. three centimeters long | yellowish-green with black spots, up to about five centimeters long |
| Occurrences | Germany-wide | Germany-wide |
| Dissemination | Europe, North Africa | Europe, North Africa |
| Flight times | March to November, up to four generations | March to the end of October, 2 to 3 generations |
| Food plants – butterflies | Real medicinal valerian, butterfly lilac, meadow foamwort, thistles, catnip | Real medicinal valerian, butterfly lilac, meadow foamwort, thistles, catnip |
| Food plants – caterpillars | mainly all types of cabbage and other cruciferous plants, nasturtiums | mainly all types of cabbage and other cruciferous plants, nasturtiums |
Lifecycle
Depending on the weather, the first cabbage white butterflies start flying in March. The lesser cabbage white butterfly lays its eggs for the first time in April, and the species lays its eggs again in July. If the food supply is sufficient and the weather (warm and dry) is suitable, the female butterflies lay one or two more clutches. The great cabbage white butterfly usually lays its eggs for the first time between May and June. This species lays larger clutches, but less frequently.
The caterpillars hatch about three to four weeks after laying their eggs and begin to eat immediately. While the caterpillars of the large cabbage white butterfly primarily eat the leaves, those of the small cabbage white butterfly also gnaw their way into the interior, the so-called heart, of the cabbage family. The animals leave behind numerous traces of excrement, which cause the plants to rot and thus make them inedible. After another four weeks, the caterpillars pupate and then soon emerge as butterflies. The greatest damage is usually caused in the months of June and July.
malicious image
Eggs and caterpillars of the two types of cabbage white are quite easy to recognize; the former in particular can be found either individually (small cabbage white) or in larger clutches (larger cabbage white) on the undersides of the leaves. Immediately after hatching, the caterpillars begin their feeding activity, primarily eating the leaves:
- Bareness on the leaves
- only the leaf skeleton remains
- the actual cabbage is also eaten
- the caterpillars of the small cabbage white butterfly eat their way into the inside
- Caterpillars and eggs can be clearly seen on the plants
- numerous greenish traces of feces
Cabbage white caterpillars are very voracious and can destroy the entire cabbage harvest within a very short time.
Excursus
These pests also occur on cabbage
It's not just the two species of cabbage white that like to eat cabbage and related plants. The following butterfly species can also be classified as typical cabbage pests: diamondback moth or diamondback moth (lat. Plutella xylostella, caterpillars up to nine millimeters long, green body, brown head), gamma owl (lat. Autographa gamma, moth, caterpillars brownish to greenish in color with light yellow stripes and cabbage borer (Latin: Evergestis forficalis, caterpillars are small and green). The species mentioned are also widespread.
How to prevent cabbage white butterfly
Protective nets keep the butterfly from laying its eggs on the plant
You have the greatest chance of preventing damage caused by caterpillars on cabbage plants and other cruciferous plants through targeted prevention. This primarily includes the following measures:
- From April onwards, regularly check endangered plants for eggs and caterpillars
- Remove eggs, collect caterpillars
- Destroy caterpillars or release them to a more suitable location
- cover endangered plants with plant protection nets
- (alternatively) place tomato plants and other strongly scented plants between cabbage
- e.g. are suitable: B. many herbs such as thyme, peppermint, sage, anise or mugwort
- very good as a bed border, for example
- plant beds with mixed crops
Keep a close eye on your garden, especially between April and July, and check cabbage plants more if you notice white butterflies. In particular, search the undersides of the leaves for clutches and caterpillars and remove both.
Tip
Incidentally, egg laying can sometimes be prevented by dusting the cabbage leaves with stone powder. However, you must repeat this measure regularly and especially after a downpour, as the stone dust is removed again by wind and water.
Plant protection nets
Even before the first cabbage white butterflies fly, you should cover the beds with the cabbage plants (and of course with other endangered plants) with so-called cultural protection nets. These offer cost-effective and effective protection not only against cabbage white butterflies, but also against numerous other garden pests. The nets remain on the beds throughout the entire cultivation period, although you must always ensure there is enough space under the cover - cabbage plants in particular grow quite tall.
The most important information for the successful use of cultural protection nets:
- Use fine-meshed nets if possible – a maximum of two millimeters in diameter
- use intact nets, must not have any holes
- Tighten immediately after planting or sowing
- d. H. if possible as early as April
- Avoid loopholes, so bury net edges in the ground
- and also weigh it down with stones
Unfortunately, some resourceful cabbage whites sometimes still find a loophole, no matter how well it is hidden. For this reason, you should also check covered plants regularly and collect them if necessary.
Mixed culture and crop rotation
One of the best ways to keep cabbage white butterflies away, perhaps not necessarily, but to keep the damage as small as possible, is mixed crops. This means that you plant various vegetables and herbs in one bed instead of an entire area full of cabbage and other cruciferous plants. Strong-smelling plants such as are particularly suitable in conjunction with cabbage
- Tomatoes
- Celery
- Onions
- Leeks/Leeks
- Tagetes
- Thyme
- Sage
- Rosemary
- Basil
- Coriander
- or mugwort
for socialization. Cabbage white butterflies are (hopefully) confused by the different scent and do not find the cabbage plants in between. Privet, elderberry and tansy are also very suitable for defensive purposes.
When it comes to crop rotation, it is important to note that cruciferous plants are not grown on the same bed every year. Instead, you should change the areas and only return to this bed with cabbage and the like after four years. Good previous crops for kohlrabi, cauliflower, broccoli, etc. include peas, beans, sweet corn and celery. Crop rotation is important in order to limit the population of cabbage white butterflies as much as possible next year - the pupae like to overwinter near former cabbage plantations.
This video shows how effective a mixed culture with tomatoes can be, or sometimes not.
Tomaten gegen Kohlweißling und weiße Fliege
Tricking cabbage white butterflies
Cabbage white butterflies can supposedly be prevented from laying their eggs on cabbage plants with a simple trick: simply place larger, white egg shells between and on the endangered plants. The female cabbage white butterfly looking for a suitable place to lay now thinks that other members of her species would lay their eggs at this point and therefore looks for another place. Whether this method works or not, you can try it out. However, you would probably have to refill the eggshells regularly, as the butterflies fly until autumn and then lay eggs.
Mulching against the cabbage white butterfly
Some gardeners claim that cabbage white butterflies can be deterred from laying eggs using strong-smelling or toxic mulching materials. For this you can use fresh tomato shoots, which you simply place between the cabbage plants, or trimmings from privet hedges. This should help especially against the second generation of the butterfly, which flies around mid-July. At this time the hedge is also due to be trimmed. Simply place the hedge clippings as mulch between the endangered cabbage plants and let them rot there.
Fight cabbage white butterfly effectively
The most effective way is to collect the cabbage white butterfly
Sometimes, however, all the precautionary measures don't help and you have to fight the existing caterpillars. It is important to collect the animals immediately after they are discovered and otherwise take appropriate countermeasures. If you just wait and see, the butterfly population and thus the number of voracious caterpillars will increase quickly. Cabbage white butterflies go through around two to four generations in one growing season and therefore reproduce very quickly. This must be prevented.
Are there effective home remedies?
Apart from the options already described, there are no really effective home remedies for combating the cabbage white butterfly. Only a manure made from tansy or wormwood, used as a spray, has a certain effect. However, these products are also more preventive because they neither kill nor drive away eggs or caterpillars that are already present. If possible, inject the fermented broths as early as spring and repeat the application at regular intervals until July.
Tip
The versatile nettle manure usually helps against pretty much every problem in the garden. Unfortunately, this does not apply to the cabbage white butterfly, as it is actually more likely to be attracted by the brew. Therefore, nettle manure does not help against the pest and you have to find another control measure.
Biological control methods
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However, it is much more effective to rely on natural predators. However, the typical beneficial insects such as songbirds and shrews are not particularly fond of cabbage white caterpillars - they simply don't taste good. Instead, you should rely on parasitic wasps of the species Cotesia glomerata or Trichogramma brassicae, which are often used in organic farming. These species parasitize various butterfly caterpillars, including those of the cabbage white butterfly. This means that the parasitic wasps lay their eggs on the caterpillars. After the larvae hatch, the caterpillars serve as food for them.
Various ground and predatory beetles also like to eat butterfly caterpillars, which is why you should set up suitable hiding places for them in the garden. These feel comfortable under ground cover plants as well as in piles of dead wood, leaves and stones. A cleverly set up insect hotel and numerous umbelliferous plants attract other useful insects, which not only keep the cabbage white butterflies but also other pests in check.
Excursus
Is the cabbage white butterfly poisonous?
In the course of evolution, cabbage plants have developed a basically perfect defense strategy against pests: the mustard oil glycosides contained in the plants and certain enzymes together form degradation products in the body that are toxic to many living beings, which is why they do not eat such well-armed plants. However, some animals have adapted, these degradation products do not bother them and they are immune.
This plant poison does not work on humans or on some butterflies such as the small and large cabbage white butterfly. Quite the opposite: by eating cabbage, the plant toxins accumulate in the caterpillars' bodies, so that they are protected from predators such as birds. The feathered beneficial insects do not eat cabbage white caterpillars or adult cabbage white butterflies because they would probably be heavy on their stomachs.
Hands off: Chemical pesticides
“Poison destroys the ecological balance in the garden and has unpleasant consequences.”
Although some chemical agents that are effective against cabbage white butterflies are approved for use in the home garden, none of them can be recommended in good conscience. Many of them not only combat pests, but also important beneficial insects - this particularly applies to insecticides that contain the active ingredient azadirachtin, which is obtained from the neem tree. Others are based on the effect of cyhalotrin, which in turn also kills bees.
By using such a product you may be fighting the cabbage white butterflies and their caterpillars, but at the same time you will also cause the beneficial insects to die off and thus upset the biological balance. As a result, there are no beneficial insects - which in turn gives other pests the chance to spread. If you counteract this again with a chemical agent, a toxic vicious circle is created. Therefore: It is better to rely on targeted prevention and effective (non-toxic) biological methods.
Frequently asked questions
Are there other small white butterflies than the cabbage white butterfly?
The karst white butterfly looks very similar to the cabbage white butterfly
In addition to the large and small cabbage white butterfly, there are other white butterfly species in Germany, some of which look quite similar and can therefore easily be confused with one another. This is especially true for the very small karst white butterfly (lat. Pieris mannii), which has a wingspan of between 40 and 46 millimeters, but is primarily native to southern Europe to southwest Germany.
A close relative is the green-veined white butterfly or rapeseed white butterfly (lat. Pieris napi), which is slightly larger with a wingspan of around 50 millimeters and feeds primarily on rapeseed plants. What is less known is that species such as the striking aurora butterfly (Latin: Anthocharis cardamines), the rare postilion (Latin: Colias croceus) and the more common brimstone butterfly (Latin: Gonepteryx rhamni) also belong to the family of white butterflies (Latin: Pieridae).
How old does a cabbage white butterfly get?
Cabbage white butterflies only live for a short time: the caterpillar stage lasts about four weeks, after which the animals pupate. The last generation of each year even overwinters as a pupa and only emerges from the cocoon as a fully-fledged butterfly in the following spring. The adult butterflies then have a life expectancy of around two months.
How do cabbage white butterflies overwinter?
Adult cabbage white butterflies do not overwinter at all, but die off in autumn at the latest. Only the last generation of caterpillars, which pupate in late summer or autumn, survives the cold season as a pupa and only emerges from the cocoon in the following spring. These young butterflies ultimately establish the new generations and begin laying eggs very early in the year - from April or May. The wintering places are often in sheltered places one to three meters above the ground, with fences and walls being particularly popular.
Is the cabbage white butterfly also poisonous to humans?
In fact, both the caterpillars and the adult butterflies are not particularly popular with birds. Since the animals feed on cabbage plants and therefore store large amounts of mustard oils in their bodies, they are simply not very tasty for birds and other potential predators. For us humans, however, neither caterpillars nor butterflies are poisonous in any way; after all, we also like and tolerate brassicas and their pungent mustard oils.
Tip
It is occasionally advised to simply let any chickens that are present run around in the garden. We strongly advise against this, because the poultry may like to eat caterpillars - but they also like to scratch the beds and also like to eat herbs and vegetables.
