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Buggery caterpillars...

 
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gythagirl



Joined: 18 Feb 2010
Posts: 1467
Location: Somerset
PostPosted: Fri Oct 27, 17 8:24 pm    Post subject: Buggery caterpillars... Reply with quote
    

...are still rampant on my purple sprouting - anybody any idea how low the temperature has to drop overnight to kill the blighters..?

gz



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8576
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
PostPosted: Fri Oct 27, 17 9:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

ask Buzzy?

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Sat Oct 28, 17 7:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I am still finding the odd caterpillar on mine too. When I find them I squelch them. Far fewer than there were, but that was even with netting them. I need to sort out a way to hole the net high for the late winter otherwise the pigeons have the tops.

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Tue Oct 31, 17 2:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I never had a problem with the caterpillars last time I grew purple sprouting, bloody sheep got in there before the butterflies could!

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 17 7:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

And sheep tend to be a bit more terminal that caterpillars....

gythagirl



Joined: 18 Feb 2010
Posts: 1467
Location: Somerset
PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 17 2:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Perhaps i should stop grumbling then! I daresay they'll survive - and yes will have to net them BEFORE the spears start appearing!

chickenlady



Joined: 18 Aug 2013
Posts: 413
Location: Dorset
PostPosted: Thu Nov 02, 17 3:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

It's not the caterpillars that I'm battling...but myriad of teeny tiny snails hiding amongst the veg foliage. Mind you...they do squash exceedingly easily.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45375
Location: yes
PostPosted: Thu Nov 02, 17 5:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

a diet of purple brassica does not improve the flavour of caterpillars, maybe that is just me, the local sparrows seem pretty good at clearing all but the sneakiest pillars when i have had such problems .

most times i have had a "pest" problem making life easy for things that eat "pests" has worked. the rspb have good details for sparrow housing and scoff

chooks are rather good at cleaning stuff within reach but they can get a bit over enthusiastic with stuff you want

barriers is an option, poison can be done but should not be an option

a bit of help to the local sparrow population is a cheep option

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Fri Nov 03, 17 7:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I have found a few snails on the curly kale, and as you say Chickenlady, they do squash easily, just a nuisance.

We get quite a variety of birds in our garden, but somehow the most dominant ones seem to be the pigeons. The robin comes to see what we are doing when we are in the garden, and has started to come to the front door for food every time we use it. There are sparrows around, but mainly hedge by the sounds of the twittering bush down the road I passed the other day.

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