Cabbage moths are harmful to plants and are very destructive and are classified as invasive species.
Cabbage moths cause damage to and affect crops like broccoli, cabbage and kale and much more.
You can plant other plants near your plants to deter small white moths and cabbage moths, such as lavender, rosemary, thyme, sage, dill, mint and aromatic vegetables like onions, chives and garlic and flowers like borage, nasturtiums and marigolds as well as peppermint and mint and even celery and tomatoes.
You can plant these plants near brassica plants to confuse the cabbage moths and attract beneficial insects or even use a trap crop like mustard to lure the cabbage moths away.
You can also use a spray bottle with a bit of dish soap and water and then spray the adult cabbage moths as they fly and it will knock the cabbage moths down and kill them.
Onions repel cabbage moths and even garlic other herbs are also good at repelling cabbage moths.
Onions contain a strong sulfur smell, which confuses cabbage moths, which makes it harder for the cabbage moths to find and lay eggs in host plants.
Onions also deter and repel other common garden pests like carrot flies and aphids, which provides a good barrier for your garden.
You should plant onion sets or green onions through a cabbage patch if you have one and plant rows of onions or garlic around the edges of your brassica beds.
Garlic and Chives, Thyme and Mint and Marigolds and Nasturtiums attract beneficial insects and repel aphids as well.
Lavender also repels cabbage moths as lavender contains compounds like camphor and linalool which mask the smell of other host plants, which make it harder for the moths to find your vegetables.
The scent of the lavender repels cabbage moths as well and lavender is widely recommended as a companion plant to help repel cabbage moths and even repel the cabbage moths larvae or cabbage worms from brassica vegetables like kale, cabbage and broccoli, by using the strong cent of lavender to confuse them.
Lavender also works best to repel cabbage moths when interplanted with other plants like rosemary, mint and marigolds and also by attracting beneficial insects which prey on pests.
The predators of the cabbage moth are parasitic wasps, lacewings, lady beetles, spiders, birds and even small mammals such as shrews.
Other insects like hoverflies and damsel bugs target the larvae of the cabbage moth.
And even birds, yellow jackets and other predatory insects eat the cabbage moths and caterpillars and specialized parasitoid wasps lay eggs inside the caterpillars and ground beetles, which also consume the pupae, which help to control populations.
The adult cabbage moths are eaten by birds, bats and sometimes predatory insects like hornets.
Even spiders, frogs, toads, lizards, shrews and bats as well as songbirds, chickens and ducks as well as lady beetles, spiked shieldbugs eat the eggs and caterpillars of the cabbage moth.
Cabbage moths are most active at night, around dusk, as well as on cool and cloudy days, when the cabbage moths fly to find host plants and then lay their eggs, while also resting hidden leaves during the day to avoid predators.
Dusk and night is the cabbage moths peak activity period for flying and mating and during cool and cloudy days, the cabbage moths activity may extend to these mess they prefer less sun.
And during the daytime, cabbage moths rest, often under the leaves of plants to stay safe.
Cabbage moths are primarily known for being pests that are responsible for causing severe crop damage on a wide variety of plant species.
The common name for cabbage moths, is cabbage moth, which is also a misnomer as the cabbage moth species feeds on many fruits as well as vegetables, and even crops in the genus Brassica.
The cabbage moth is an unassuming, small, white butterfly which is among the world's most invasive pets, which affect crops like broccoli, cabbage and kale and much more.
Adult butterflies and moths are generally benign and beneficial in a garden.
Unfortunately, the same can't be said for their hungry youngsters.
If you value your brassicas, it pays to treat cabbage moth caterpillars with a firm hand and keep their numbers in check.
Plants that keep cabbage moths away include thyme, dill, oregano, lavender, onion, garlic, and marigolds which are said to deter cabbage whites and can be interplanted with the main crop.
Cabbage moths are most active at night and eggs are small, green and often laid on leaves.
The difference between cabbage moths and cabbage butterflies are the cabbage butterfly is white with black spots on the wings.
The cabbage butterfly is around 4cm across and has a Green-Blue caterpillar stage.
The Cabbage Moth is greyish and small (around 1cm across) and has a Green-Brown caterpillar stage.