Pest identification
What's eating my cabbage?
Cabbage white caterpillars (Pieris rapae / P. brassicae)
Signs: Holes eaten through outer leaves; pale caterpillars boring into the heart; dark frass between leaves
Control: Remove egg clusters from leaf undersides; hand-pick caterpillars; apply Bt spray; drape insect-proof mesh over hoops from planting to harvest
Cabbage root fly (Delia radicum)
Signs: Wilting transplants that do not recover with watering; white maggots tunnelling roots below soil level
Control: Fit brassica root collars at transplanting; cover bed with fine mesh; avoid following last year's brassicas in the rotation
Cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae)
Signs: Dense mealy grey-green colonies coating leaves; stunted, curled growth and sooty mould
Control: Spray with insecticidal soap; blast with water; encourage parasitic wasps and ladybirds; remove heavily infested outer leaves
Slugs and snails
Signs: Seedlings eaten overnight; irregular holes in outer leaves; slime trails; bore into developing heads
Control: Apply iron phosphate pellets; use copper tape barriers; hand-pick after dark; transplant when plants are larger to reduce vulnerability
Keep cabbage pest-free
Healthy plants resist pests best. Get the basics right:
Cabbage pests — FAQ
What is eating my cabbage?
Cabbage suffers from the full suite of brassica pests. Cabbage white caterpillars bore into hearts; cabbage root fly kills transplants; aphids colonise in grey masses. Slugs attack seedlings and bore into heads. Pigeons and rabbits are serious in UK gardens. Insect-proof mesh from planting day, combined with brassica root collars, is the single most effective strategy.
How do I get rid of cabbage white caterpillars (pieris rapae / p. brassicae) on cabbage?
Holes eaten through outer leaves; pale caterpillars boring into the heart; dark frass between leaves Remove egg clusters from leaf undersides; hand-pick caterpillars; apply Bt spray; drape insect-proof mesh over hoops from planting to harvest
How do I get rid of cabbage root fly (delia radicum) on cabbage?
Wilting transplants that do not recover with watering; white maggots tunnelling roots below soil level Fit brassica root collars at transplanting; cover bed with fine mesh; avoid following last year's brassicas in the rotation
How do I get rid of cabbage aphid (brevicoryne brassicae) on cabbage?
Dense mealy grey-green colonies coating leaves; stunted, curled growth and sooty mould Spray with insecticidal soap; blast with water; encourage parasitic wasps and ladybirds; remove heavily infested outer leaves
How do I get rid of slugs and snails on cabbage?
Seedlings eaten overnight; irregular holes in outer leaves; slime trails; bore into developing heads Apply iron phosphate pellets; use copper tape barriers; hand-pick after dark; transplant when plants are larger to reduce vulnerability