Black Caterpillars With Yellow Stripes That Eat Broccoli Leaves
Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) is not difficult to grow, but it is susceptible to the same pests as other members of the cole crop family. Broccoli pests include caterpillars, aphids, cabbageworms and flea beetles. The cross-striped cabbageworm is a common pests of broccoli and most likely the yellow-striped caterpillar eating your broccoli.
Cross-Striped Cabbage Worm Identification
Cross-striped cabbageworms are the larvae of moths (Evergestis rimosalis). The larvae go through four instars and during the last instar, larvae are 3/5 inch long with horizontal stripes across their bluish-gray backs, and vertical bright yellow stripes with black stripes underneath them along the cabbageworms' sides. Cabbageworms' undersides are green and mottled with yellow. These pests can become a significant problem because damage usually occurs on several plants within a row.
The eggs are laid in clusters on the underside of leaves. Cross-striped cabbageworms hatch and feed on foliage, chewing holes in leaves and tender buds. They can also strip plants of their leaves, destroying both young and mature leaves. Holes destroy the broccoli, making it inedible. Cabbage worms can move from plant to plant and often attack other plants growing nearby. They often drill burrows into the heads of cabbages (Brassica oleracea var. capitata), destroying them.
You can control cross-striped cabbageworms by picking them off your broccoli plants. You can also use row covers to prevent adults from laying eggs on newly planted broccoli. Plowing up all cole crop plants immediately after harvest can help prevent cross-striped cabbageworms from overwintering in the soil. Introducing parasitic wasps into the garden and planting nectar crops, like alyssum (Alyssum spp.), nearby can help reduce the pest population. Pesticides are available, but thorough coverage is vital to controlling pest.
Other broccoli pests eat holes in leaves and their damage looks similar that of cross-striped cabbageworms. Cabbage loopers and armyworms create large holes in leaves and can skeletonize broccoli foliage. Cabbage loopers are caterpillars, light green in color with yellow stripes down their backs. Armyworms are dark green and often eat leaves, stems and roots of many garden plants. The imported cabbage worm is another leaf-eater that often attacks broccoli. Control of these pests includes destroying weeds and debris after harvest and picking caterpillars from the plants.
- The New Sunset Western Garden Book; Kathleen Norris Brenzel, Editor
- Virgina Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Pests Commonly Found on Cabbage, Broccoli & Brussels Sprouts
- The University of Georgia College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences: Cross-Striped Cabbageworm
- Rutgers Cooperative Research and Extension: Cross-Striped Cabbageworm
- Harvest to Table: Broccoli Growing Problems: Troubleshooting
Based in Indiana, Molly Allman holds a B.A. in professional writing. She works as both a writer and author and enjoys writing articles on many different topics. She specializes in topics concerning health, crafts, family and lifestyles. Her fiction writing appears in "Bewildering Stories," "The Other Herald" and "Spectacular Speculations."