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I'd planted some Broccoli a few weeks ago and the plants were doing really well until I noticed holes appearing in the leaves. I eventually spotted some caterpillars today (well, actually I saw one then spotted about a million others when I started to look!). I didn't want to kill them, so I brushed them all off into a pot and then re-housed them in the furthest corner of my garden on a (unidentified) bush.

Will this be enough to stop them? Or will they try and crawl back to my broccoli?

Since brassicas are the host plant for the white butterfly caterpillars, I'm sure they will try to come back. It's all they eat. You can dust the plants with derris, which they don't like, or spray the plants with a weak solution of dishsoap and water, but you'll have to re-apply either every time it rains. But both are pretty effective, and less time-consuming than picking the individual caterpillers (unless you have a small number of plants).

Good luck!
Andrea
NZ

Im inclined to say dont be so soft hearted! kill the little blighters, they will ruin all brasicas in your garden.
As kids we were paid 10c for every three cabbage white butterflys we killed and presented to mum and dad - some days we made several dollars in the space of a few hours - not bad when you are 4/5 years old!

either they will come back and eat again... or they will starve from lack of food, as they will only eat certain plants.

I kill them. yes.. mean of me.. but either they eat or I do.

Squidge them!

It's a jungle out there, survival of the fittest. And seeing as your brassica's aren't running away or fighting it's up to you!

I asked my eight y.o. grandaughter to pick the caterpillars off the cabbages this summer.
I found her setting them free on the hedge saying, "Run, run for your lives!"
Modern yoof eh?

That's cute! Actually I think you probably have killed them, as unless they manage to find another food plant within a few feet they'll just starve to death or get eaten by birds while roaming. Squishing them is quicker.

If that bothers you, look into the idea of "sacrifice plants" - these are preferred food plants like nasturtiums that you have right beside your crop, and the theory says that the cabbage whites will go there in preference to your food. Let me know how it works out, because I'm sceptical.

Do you have a bird feeder? I personally put mine on a tray on the bird table, which reduces the guilt somewhat.