While slugs and snails have been known to eat from kale, your culprit is most likely going to be caterpillars. Caterpillars are the first thing I expect to find whenever I start seeing holes in the leaves of my Brassica plants, kale included.
What bug is eating kale?
Flea Beetles (Chrysomelidae family)
These little beetles like to chomp on your kale, leaving tiny pits and holes in the leaves. Although these beetles are small, they often arrive in large numbers, and can do a lot of damage.
Can you eat kale that has been eaten by bugs?
Fortunately, there’s good news! Greens with holes in them that were created by feeding insects or slugs should be fine to eat, if you cut away the damaged parts.
How do you get bugs off kale?
You Can Clean the Kale. A sink full of water, most people agreed, was the best way to clean the aphids off so you don’t disgust your dinner guests. Submerge the kale completely and squish it around a lot. The aphids float to the surface.
What is eating my kale and cabbage?
Cabbage aphids feed by piercing leaf tissues and sucking out the juices, so a badly colonized kale leaf will never recover and should be pinched off and promptly composted. You can treat small colonies of cabbage aphids with insecticidal soap, but it’s hard to kill every last aphid.
How do I stop caterpillars eating my kale?
One of the simplest methods for controlling caterpillars is to pick them off plants and drop them into a bucket of soapy water or squish them. This method takes time and persistence, and everyone may not like to take such a hands-on approach to pest control. Another option is to cover crops with insect barrier fabrics.
What is eating my leafy greens?
Rabbits, Voles, Woodchucks, Deer, Chipmunks, Squirrels. All eat leaves or fruits of plants in vegetable gardens. Symptoms include: Large parts of the plant are chewed off.
Can you eat kale that is infested with aphids?
Aphids are not harmful if swallowed and are thus perfectly safe to eat. They can often be found hiding among organic leafy greens—such as collards, kale, lettuce, mustard, and spinach—so those plants should be washed thoroughly prior to serving.
What bugs lay eggs on kale?
Caterpillars, the immature larval stage of butterflies and moths, are the most significant pests of brassica crops (collards, kale, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, mustard, turnips, and others). Other pests that cause occasional damage include aphids, whiteflies, harlequin bugs, and flea beetles.
What does aphids look like?
Aphids are small, 1/16- to 1/8-inch-long (2-4 mm), pear-shaped, soft-bodied insects. They can range in color from green, black, red, yellow, brown or gray. Mature aphids can be wingless or can have wings. Winged aphids are similar in color but are a little darker.
How do you get rid of leafy green bugs?
Tips for removing bugs from your veggies
- Soak in salt water to kill worms and other insects.
- Plunge in a deep cold bath.
- Put a little white vinegar in your soaking liquid.
- Cut veggies into bite-sized pieces and soak in water for about 30 minutes; you may need to repeat.
How do I keep aphids off my kale?
Controlling Aphids on Kale
Clip off badly infested kale leaves and immediately dispose of them in an active compost pile. Without a live plant host, they will soon perish. Follow up with a botanical spray (like those described below), insecticidal soap, or a light horticultural oil.
How do you keep bugs off greens?
Combine five parts water, two parts isopropyl alcohol and 1 teaspoon of dish liquid in a spray bottle. Spray the collard greens thoroughly, contacting all parts of the leaves once a week, to control flea beetles.
What makes tiny holes in kale leaves?
These small holes are telltale signs of the cabbage worm. Actually, the are several insects that cause this type of damage and are generally referred to as ‘cabbage worms’. This includes the imported cabbage worm, the diamondback caterpillar and cabbage looper.
What is eating my broccoli and kale?
Have you noticed those beautiful white butterflies flitting across your garden? Lovely to look at, but what they leave behind is a problem for gardeners. The larvae of this butterfly as well as the diamondback moth and cabbage looper eat holes in the leaves of cabbage, broccoli, kale, collards and their relatives.
How do I keep bugs from eating my leaves?
Use 1 tablespoon of mild soap (like dish soap or castile soap) to 1 cup of vegetable oil. Mix well. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil mix to 1 quart of water and pour into a spray bottle. Spray the top and bottom of each leaf where the insects are dwelling and the stems if needed.
What home remedy kills caterpillars?
Oil Spray. Combine 2 tablespoons canola oil and 1 teaspoon liquid soap with 2 cups warm water. Funnel the solution into a spray bottle and spritz caterpillars liberally.
What is a natural way to repel caterpillars?
11 Natural Ways to Get Rid of Caterpillars on Plants
- Soap and Water.
- Organic B.t. (Bacillus thuringiensis)
- Neem Oil.
- Pepper and Garlic Mixture.
- Chili Spray.
- Create a Habitat Friendly to Birds.
- Vinegar Solution.
- Use Burlap.
What causes infestation of caterpillars?
Common infestation sites include garden plants, trees, brush, stored food (especially grains), and fabrics. The stored food-infesting Indian meal moth and fabric-infesting webbing clothes moth caterpillars are particularly common indoor pests.
What to spray on plant leaves to keep bugs away?
Once they’re gone for the moment, spray down the plants with a homemade insecticidal soap. A great recipe for a homemade bug spray for vegetable plants is to use one tablespoon of dish soap, one cup of vegetable oil, one quart of water, and one cup of rubbing alcohol.
How do I keep bugs from eating my vegetable plants?
7 Simple Strategies to Prevent Garden Pests
- Grow Resistant Varieties.
- Confuse Pests.
- Plant Outside of Peak Times.
- Grow Out of the Way.
- Use Physical Barriers.
- Attract Beneficial Bugs.
- Keep Plants Healthy.