Cabbage Looper Control

July 31st, 2009 Posted in Ornamental & Lawn Pests



Cabbage loopers are unusual pests because they plague gardens in the larva and moth stages of their lives.


These creatures go through about three life cycles during the summer; so, they can devastate gardens in waves. Once you identify cabbage loopers and moths as the tormentors in your garden, you can rid of them without destroying your plants.

Handpicking the larvae off the plants will get you started. However, the cabbage looper eggs are difficult to see – they’re light green and the size of a pinhead – and they only need two to five days to hatch.

Once you get an insecticide that’s safe to use in a vegetable garden, you can start spraying your plants.

The trick is to spray to cover the entire leaf. Don’t forget to spray underneath the leaves because that’s where the cabbage loopers like to feed the most. They tend to follow the veins of the plant but can eat through to the center of a cabbage head.

Spraying young cabbage looper larvae and eggs yields better results than trying to kill mature cabbage loopers larvae or moths. Some gardeners prefer to use pheromones, but since the moths fly at night, they can be managed by laying row covers. The covers prevent them from laying eggs on plants.

There are some natural remedies, like Bacillus thuringiensis, a widely accepted agent for killing cabbage loopers. It can be applied weekly for prevention of cabbage loopers.

But whatever treatment you use, make sure to cover the plant, as cabbage loopers will hunt for parts of plants that aren’t treated.



Estelle Tran

  1. 13 Comments | The First 1,000 to Comment (Starting 12/21/2009) Will Become EcoSMART Product Testers!

  2. By Stefanie Schmidt on Aug 1, 2009

    Great advice on controlling pests in the garden. I would love to try your products.

  3. By s karim on Aug 1, 2009

    I’m very weak when it comes to insects. Recently, we moved in to a new place and the one insect I fear the most has started to appear…the house centipede! The ones I spotted previously were smaller, and therefore ones I could handle seeing [ a little better than before]. Tonite however, I saw the largest one ever… And what scares me most is that if it is here, that means there’s a reason….apparently we’ve got the bugs around to feed it. I’m ready to do whatever, but I’ve got two cats, and my fiance [and I] are very worried about using chemicals that arent safe for them [or kids, which we are working to add to the family]. I need to try safe products to conquer the centipedes, but all the same, something that would conquer the source of their presence [the other bugs: spiders (little ones or daddy long legs, nothing major thank goodness], silverfish, ants, etc.] Please advise…

  4. By Mike Sturman on Aug 2, 2009

    We grow corn and tomatoes and have had some insect problems in the past. This year, we planted cherry trees, and ants ate all the buds and chewed on the leaves.

    What I’d really like is some help with gophers.

  5. By Laura on Aug 2, 2009

    I took a picture of my little critters. They are cabbage worms. Anyone know the difference. Holes everywhere and they are hidden in the leaves. I’m in the North Georgia Mountains on the weekends and every Friday eve when I get here, I GET SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MAD! I have tried Neem Oil? What next?

    I have slugs and snails too. Haven’t seen loopers yet. ~laura

  6. By Jennifer on Aug 4, 2009

    I have killed a house centipede everyday for the past three days in my house. I can’t wait to try your product!

  7. By Estelle on Aug 7, 2009

    The term cabbage worm generally includes the cabbage looper, which is one type of cabbage worm. Cabbage loopers are known for being able to adapt to different types of repellent. So, I would suggest hitting them hard and being thorough with as few types of repellent as possible.

    Ecosmart products are great for dealing with ants, centipedes and silverfish. There’s really no point in trying to starve these guys out. Good luck.

  8. By Stefanie Schmidt on Aug 8, 2009

    Great information, I would love to test your products. They are perfect for me and green for the planet.

  9. By Kate Nowinski on Aug 12, 2009

    I live in Warsaw, NY (close to Buffalo) and recently went out to my garden and found my brussel sprout plants looking like swiss cheese. I started researching online and then went back to my garden to investigate. Low and behold I have imported cabbage worms (green and fuzzy with a thin yellow stripe). I tried to pick off as many I could but everyday more seem to appear. I can’t keep up with them and I’m afraid I’m going to lose all my precious plants. HELP!

  10. By Darci Park on Aug 13, 2009

    I hate bugs, but I hate nasty toxins too. How great to have a safe way to get rid of nasty bugs.

  11. By Hilary on Nov 3, 2009

    Huh, I have a broccoli and a cauliflower plant that are almost down to the bones.
    IT’s so sad, I’d like to try it.

  12. By Nicki on Nov 12, 2009

    Help! I cannot get rid of the cabbage loopers/caterpillars in my fall garden. I’ve searched the web for answers but nothing seems to help. I’ve been religiously spraying Neem all over my garden every few days. I’ve handpicked the caterpillars off and I sprayed the backs of all my plants to try to kill the eggs. It seems that every time it rains an unbelievable amount of caterpillars hatch out and destroy my garden within hours. I’m wondering if the caterpillar eggs are in the ground. If so, how do I get rid of them?

  13. By Sarah on Nov 13, 2009

    I’ve finally identified the caterpillars destroying my sweet potato vines and cauliflower and cabbage: the cabbage loopers. I have swiss chards next to the cabbage, will these pests get to them? Will EcoSMART help control?

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