Cabbage caterpillars: how to spot, prevent and treat them pest
How do you spot cabbage caterpillars?
The outer leaves of the brassicas have holes eaten into them. The caterpillars and their dark droppings are on the leaves.
On particular plants
cabbage: Some species bore into the heart of the head and show up only when the head is cut open.
Chinese cabbage: Some species bore into the heart of the head and show up only when the head is cut open.
How do you prevent cabbage caterpillars?
Check the underside of the leaves regularly and pick off the eggs before they hatch. Cover the crop with a fine mesh or fleece, so that the butterflies and moths do not reach the plants at all.
What works against cabbage caterpillars?
Pick the caterpillars off by hand and remove the affected leaves. Covering with a mesh from planting on is more reliable than picking, because it stops the eggs being laid instead of dealing with the damage afterwards.
Which plants get cabbage caterpillars? 10
Vegetables 10
Sources: Royal Horticultural Society
Checked on 17 August 2026.