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Cabbage White Butterfly

Pest

The Cabbage White Butterfly is a common garden pest whose larvae, known as cabbage worms, feed voraciously on brassica crops. If left alone, these caterpillars can quickly skeletonize leaves and ruin the harvest of your favorite greens.

Symptoms by part

Leaves

Small, irregular holes appear in the foliage, often accompanied by dark green or black droppings and clusters of small, yellow eggs on the undersides.

Causes

  • The presence of host plants like kale or cabbage in the garden during the warm growing season.
  • Lack of physical barriers that allow adult butterflies to land and lay eggs on the foliage.

Could be confused with

  • Slugs and Snails · Slugs leave behind telltale slimy trails on the leaves, whereas cabbage worms do not.
  • Flea Beetles · Flea beetles create tiny, pinprick sized holes rather than the large, ragged chunks eaten by caterpillars.

Treatment

  1. 1. Handpick the caterpillars off the leaves in the early morning or evening when they are most active.
  2. 2. Wipe away any clusters of yellow eggs found on the undersides of the leaves using a damp cloth.
  3. 3. Apply Bacillus thuringiensis to the leaves when caterpillars are small, follow the label.

Without chemicals

  • Cover plants with fine horticultural fleece or insect mesh to prevent adult butterflies from laying eggs.
  • Encourage natural predators like birds and parasitic wasps to visit the garden.
  • Plant trap crops like nasturtiums nearby to lure the butterflies away from your main vegetable patch.

Chemical options

  • Bacillus thuringiensis, spray onto the foliage where larvae feed, follow the label.

Preventing it

  • Install physical barriers like netting over your brassicas before the butterflies appear.
  • Rotate your crops each year so that brassicas are not grown in the same spot.
  • Keep the area around your garden beds free of weeds that might host the larvae.

Season

The warm growing season.

Spread risk

High

Severity

Moderate

When to act

Act as soon as you spot eggs or small holes on the leaves to prevent a population explosion. If the plant is entirely skeletonized and growth has stopped, it is best to remove and compost it.

Think it's Cabbage White Butterfly?

This guide covers the general picture. Pocket Botanist looks at your actual plant from a photo and tells you what's really going on, how serious it is, and what to try first. Identification and a health check are free.

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Questions people ask

Will the plants recover after being eaten?
Yes, if the damage is caught early and the plant is otherwise healthy, it will usually grow new leaves once the caterpillars are removed.
Are the caterpillars harmful to humans?
No, they are not harmful to touch, though they can be messy to handle due to their droppings.
Do I need to treat the whole garden?
Focus your efforts on the brassica family, as these are the primary targets for the Cabbage White Butterfly.

Plants it affects

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This guide was generated with AI and is general information, not horticultural advice. Read about how we build these guides.