Fighting Vegetable Garden Caterpillars w/ B.t.

This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more details.
by Renae Chiovaro on June 9, 2013

Kale Bug Holes

Last week I noticed some holes in the leaves of the broccoli and kale plants. I knew immediately that we were dealing with little worms from last years past experience with cabbage worms. Thankfully I had caught these pests early in the destruction process. The holes were contained to just a few leaves instead of the entire plant.

The best solution for us is using B.t. Caterpillar Spray. B.t. is a bacteria that destroys caterpillars. It is completely safe for humans and pets though. It is a great alternative to traditional pesticides. The caterpillars ingest the B.t. and then slowly die. The best part is you can apply the B.t. up to the day of harvest! B.t. works on tent caterpillars, gypsy moths, cabbage loopers, tomato horn worms and more.

Brocolli Bug Holes

I have gotten into the habit of checking my garden everyday for new pests and damage. Even on my busiest days when I don’t get home until 8pm, I make a point to visit the garden. Missing a day looking for pest damage can lead to a great loss!

The following two tabs change content below.

Renae Chiovaro

Renae is a married working mom of two handsome boys. She works as a registered dental hygienist by day and blogs here at How to Have it All by night. She enjoys cooking from scratch, working in her vegetable garden and functional training.

Latest posts by Renae Chiovaro (see all)

Trackbacks

  1. Using Row Covers in a Vegetable Garden | How to Have it All says:
    May 13, 2014 at 1:37 pm

    […] vegetable garden to help ward off pests. Last year my kale was eaten up by caterpillars. We used B.t. spray which did help. However, we had to continually reapply B.t. This year we decided to try row […]