How to Identify Cabbage Worms
Cabbage worms are velvety green larvae. They have a few faint yellow stripes. They are not to be confused with cabbage loopers, which are yellow-green caterpillars. Unlike cabbageworms, cabbage loopers raise and lower their bodies as they move because they have no middle legs. Cabbage worms become cabbage white butterflies, which are mostly white with a few black markings. Cabbage white butterflies might seem like a pretty addition to the garden, but they are probably laying eggs on the undersides of leaves.
Where you find cabbage worms and cabbage loopers, you also might find the eggs and larvae of the diamondback moth and the zebra caterpillar. The camouflage of these creatures is excellent, so you will often see the frass, or fecal matter, that they leave behind before you see them.
Photo Credit: Cabbageworm eggs like the one in this picture are absolutely tiny, so you might not see them before it’s too late.
Cabbage Worm Damage
Cabbage worms can happily eat away at the bases of cabbage, cauliflower, or the heads of broccoli without being noticed. They feed on foliage, and eventually they can leave plants only with stems and large veins. If left to their own devices, cabbage worms can devour your crops. Their fecal matter can also stain and contaminate the produce.
Photo Credit: Purdue University. Imported cabbageworms feed on the flesh of foliage and often hide on the undersides of leaves.
Reader Comments
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Green, fuzzy worms eating my Petunias.
These worms look something like cabbage worms. Each year after my petunias bloom, these worms eat the blossoms and destroy the flower.
Cabbage is full of worms and poop
Today I noticed increasing holes in my cabbage leaves so I dug apart one of the heads that are forming and found Tablespoon size globs of poop or eggs, or both in each layer of my cabbage heads with worms all over the place. Every plant is the same way. I am tempted to just pull them and forget it for this year, but is there something that I can do other than scrap the whole crop?
cabbage woes
It sounds like you might have an infestation of imported cabbageworms, although other worms may also attack cabbage, such as cabbage loopers. Imported cabbageworm is a green caterpillar with a faint yellow stripe down its back (see the top photo above); eggs are yellow, laid under leaves; you can often see the poop left on the leaves. Cabbage loopers are green with 2 white or yellow lines down their back, and move sort of like an inchworm; eggs are light green; you may notice cocoons in leaves. For caterpillar control, you might try some of the methods suggested in the above article. If you have a small garden, handpicking is the most effective. For heavy infestations, however, you might try spraying BTK (Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki) according to manufacturer’s directions. Row covers help prevent the adult white butterfly from laying eggs on the leaves, but of course it won’t help control the pests already there. Remove weeds around the garden, especially from the mustard family. Good luck!
Petunias
Apparrently they also like petunias... specifically my night sky petunias.
cabbage pest control
what types of pesticide can we use for the major pest control on the cabbage...if we want to kill the moths and worms instantly within 1-2 days...chemical pesticide.If we get 2-3 names of the pesticedes the we will be very helpfull.
thank you
Pest Control
It is rather difficult to target pests like moths and caterpillars specifically, because most pesticides will also harm beneficial insects (like bees). However, since crops like cabbages don’t need to be pollinated, you have more options. We would recommend using a natural pesticide, like Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) or Neem Oil, but if those are not available, a synthetic pesticide containing permethrin could be used.
Cabbage & Cauilflowers/worm poop
Can we saefly eat the cabbage and cauliflower if they have pooped on the vegetable the cauliflower has turned purple is this safe to eat?
cabbage worm droppings
It would seem a shame to discard a good harvest just because a relatively tiny pest left a few droppings on it. Cut out or cut off the parts that were pooped on. Wash the vegetable well, and cook as planned. Or, after cleaning them well, you could eat the vegetables raw in slaw or salad. But if you have any hesitation, cook it to eliminate your concerns.
About the purple cauliflower: There is a variety that is supposed to be purple. It grows that way. Are you sure that is not what you planted, or—who knows?—what you did not know you planted? Come to think of it, some white varieties may have a bit of purple on the stems of the curds (the clusters on the head). That is probably safe to eat but if you have any doubt, don’t.
Don’t let the insects bug you!