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Little Green Caterpillars and Carrot damage

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  • Little Green Caterpillars and Carrot damage

    Hello all, it 's been a while but today I weeded and improved the soil in the raised beds and noticed a couple of potential problems...

    Some little bright green catterpillars - pic attached... anyone know what type these are and how I should manage them?



    A small carrot still in the ground seems to have been badly tunnelled in to by something - I suspect, but hope it is not, carrot root fly - if so it will be a first occurrence for me. Any suggestions of best approach this year if i want to grow carrots?
    Attached Files

  • #2
    Pick your caterpillars off by hand and destroy them. As for the carrots, it does sound like carrot root fly. Sorry

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    • #3
      Thank you for advice .... I may try the Nemasys grow your own pest control... claims to cope with caterpillars and root fly... anyone tried this?
      Last edited by cazp; 17-02-2013, 06:03 PM.

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      • #4
        Only used nematodes for slugs
        - but...do be aware that if you decide to use them, you need to use them soon after delivery, store them in the fridge and apply once the area is frost free ( ie end May/June )...or fleecing the area will mean you can apply it a little bit earlier .

        I sow my carrot seeds under fleece and that stays on until the carrots are finally picked. Works really well against carrot fly!
        Last edited by Nicos; 17-02-2013, 06:07 PM.
        "Nicos, Queen of Gooooogle" and... GYO's own Miss Marple

        Location....Normandy France

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        • #5
          Much cheaper to hand pick the caterpillars.

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          • #6
            hi cazp. I've seen some of the same crawlies. Looking forward to someone IDing them

            It does sound like you've got carrot root fly in the carrots though. I got reasonable results this year with the cover with insect mesh and leave approach. I have to say that if the three varieties of carrots I planted, the "resistant" Maestro F1s did indeed have less carrot fly damage.

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            • #7
              Hi cazp, I found a great website with hundreds of caterpillars on it! If you don't know the name it's a case of trawling through.

              Eggs, Larvae, Pupae and Adult Butterflies and Moths
              When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it.
              If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.

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              • #8
                I think one of the cabbage white butterflies has bright green caterpillars - I certainly found this colour on my brassicas last year, as well as the stripey ones. Think the larger butterfly has the striped ones and the smaller then green ones.

                I grew my carrots in the polytunnel last year, and sprinkled mint leaves and watered with stinky garlic solution when I pulled them, and covered with fleece for a while after pulling too until the smell of carrots disappeared. They grew well, and I had no sign of bugs in them until I pulled one up recently - I left a few in the bed to use over the winter. I've not been using mint or garlic or fleece for weeks, so maybe they actually helped in the summer! Will definitely try them again this year.
                sigpicGardening in France rocks!

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                • #9
                  Last year was my first year gardening and I did loads of research before putting spade to soil. I went down the companion planting route and didn't have too much trouble with wee beasties at all. I will do the same again this year with the addition of rhubarb pesticide. I love experimenting I do
                  When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it.
                  If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.

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                  • #10
                    My chickens usually sort them out

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                    • #11
                      This is the caterpillar of the Small Cabbage White: it's different to the ones you found

                      All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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