Pests Are Eating My Cabbage Leaves

Aphid

• A common insect found pestering several types of plants, the aphid may go undetected in small numbers because of its small stature and its deep green coloring. These pests grow and multiply quickly, however, and can threaten a whole cabbage or entire cabbage crop in days. Detect aphid damage by examining the plant for dried, curled leaves and small, sticky deposits of honeydew. Prevent aphids by regularly applying pesticides.

Thrips

• Born as tiny maggot-like larvae, thrips soon sprout four wings and begin flying about cabbage plants, preying on the edges of leaves and laying eggs on their underside. Thrips will begin eating a plant while still in its seedling stage, so pesticide is required very early in the cabbage’s development. Damage from thrips silvers the leaves of cabbage as the tiny pest sucks out sap.

Cabbage Looper

• Unlike other pests, the cabbage looper is actually quite large and easily visible, though camouflaged in its larval state. The cabbage looper begins life as a caterpillar, inching its way to the soft parts of the cabbage, where it eats constantly, destroying several cabbage plants before beginning its transformation. Using a caterpillar killer pesticide can prevent cabbage looper from destroying your crop.

Granulate Cutworm

• Gardeners may need a good eye to spot the granulate cutworm attacking their cabbage. This moth larvae works slightly underground, foregoing the cabbage leaves to attack roots and underground stems. The granulate cutworm is a particularly difficult pest to destroy, since they are in the soil and not on the plant and are not eliminated by conventional pesticides. Use pesticides specifically designed for granulate cutworms to treat.

Beet Armyworm

• Although they are named for their love of beet plants, the beet armyworm caterpillar will also attack cabbage plants, stripping them of leaves before they transform into their adult, moth form. These caterpillars are short, stout and bright green. A caterpillar killer pesticide can control beet armyworm easily.

Flea Beetle

• In both adult and larval form, flea beetles chew holes in several plants, including the cabbage. These beetles are about the size of a peppercorn and, in sufficient numbers, can destroy a plant’s ability to photosynthesize by wilting the leaves. While insecticides kill flea beetles when regularly applied, ladybugs can also help control a flea beetle population.

Diamondback Moth

• Hiding out on the underside of cabbage leaves, the diamondback moth larvae chew leaves from the outside in. As with damage from other pests, this undermines the plant’s photosynthesis and stops energy flow, eventually killing the plant. Larvae appear small and translucent green until they begin to mature, when they turn yellow and then silvery white. Caterpillar killer controls diamondback moth populations and can reverse an infestation.

Sweet Potato Whitefly

• Like tiny grains of rice sticking to the leaves, sweet potato whitefly nymphs sit, feeding on the juices of a plant until they mature. These pests not only wilt and destroy cabbages, they also attract a mold that feeds on the honeydew left behind. Spraying conventional insecticides regularly will prevent a whitefly invasion or treat one that has begun.