Organic control of cabbage worms

[dirtclod]

They're bad this year. Anyone got a control that works?

[opabinia51]

As a preventative measure look up beneficial insects which is a sticky I put up years ago and and plan plants that will attract things like predatory wasps, minute pirate bugs and so on.

Also, whatever plant the pest are preying on, if they are an annual, plant them in a completely different section of your yard next year. And plant them with the plants that will atrract the predatory insects.

BT is an excellent product but, use it sparingly as you are innoculating your yard with a possible foreign microbe.

and good on you for looking for an organic method of controlling the pest.

Actually another way to rid yourselves of worms is to attract birds like robins to your yard so plant things like sunflowers and other bird attracting plants. Also, place bird baths, and perches in your yard.

And finally, nothing works better than going around your garden and plucking the little suckers by hand.

[rainbowgardener]

I make a homemade insect repellant spray by putting garlic, red pepper, tomato leaves, and anything aromatic like mint, tansy, etc in a blender with water with a little bit of oil to help it stick and a few drops of soap (NOT detergent). Blend it up, let it sit for a few hours, strain and spray.

I found a nice little study that tested garlic juice, red pepper (I combine them, but they tested them separately), BT, neem oil, and a synthetic insecticide (pyrethrin based - pyrethrin is organically derived and is the last resort for organic gardeners) as control for cabbage worms on a cabbage crop. They found that BT worked the best, followed by the pepper spray, then the synthetic insecticide, and the garlic spray, which were all very similar. The Neem oil did not work as well in their test, only a little better than untreated control. Read it for yourself:
https://www.ag.auburn.edu/aaes/communications/highlights/fall97/sprays.htm

[!potatoes!]

'And finally, nothing works better than going around your garden and plucking the little suckers by hand.'

yup, and tossing them to some open area like a driveway keeps the local birdies interested.

[opabinia51]

On that note, each spring when I turn my winter cover crops into the soil and bring all the grubs up, I get a flurry of robins who gorge themselves. It's actually neat to watch.

[Homesteader]

I have had fair results using Diatomaceous earth for them also. Simply dusting the plants. Works for Broccoli and cauliflower as well.