caterpillers

[Bells plot]

hi ive been told to try washing up liquid with water to kill caterpillers does anyone know if it works.

[Bells plot]

[Ishard]

It doesnt work. The organic way to get rid of them is pick them off by hand, one at a time.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Rhubarb leaves boiled up in water and sprayed on will kill them.

[thifasmom]

Rhubarb leaves boiled up in water and sprayed on will kill them.

worked for me :)

[woppa30]

That will be oxalic acid then...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalic_acid

Not what I would call organic but each to their own (I would use a commercail bug killer, at least I know when it was sprayed, how much etc....)

[Digeroo]

The organic way to get rid of them is pick them off by hand, one at a time.

I try and squash the batches of eggs before they hatch, if not I fold over the leaf and try and squish as many as possible in one go.    They seem to go for the same plants, so it is relatively easy to remove them.

I have one purple cauliflower that has had fifteen sets of eggs on the one plant, have eaten the crop but left the plant to attract the butterflies.  One purple sprouting plant is also very popular.  My cheap packet of carters purple sprouting is almost totally free of eggs.

[Robert_Brenchley]

That will be oxalic acid then...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalic_acid

Not what I would call organic but each to their own (I would use a commercail bug killer, at least I know when it was sprayed, how much etc....)

I use oxalic out of a packet, but then I use it to control bee mites. Rhubarb leaves are the traditional method.