Kitchen Garden Forum

Has anyone noticed what a lot white butterflies we have this year. They are just swarming over our allotments. Many of them getting under the netting too. Must be really alert to the orange patches of eggs now and get them squashed with is a pain with the netting on. Could do without this extra chore but hey ho, what's new?

Beryl.

Is there truth in the rumour that they swarm here from across the Channel?

MW

Motherwoman wrote:Is there truth in the rumour that they swarm here from across the Channel?

MW

Sounds like a Daily Mail story to me!

Only if they don't apply for a work visa....

They do! See bbc info below.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/advice/p ... utterflies

We have lots of whites this year but even more peacock butterflies which unlike the whites are welcome anytime

That explains it Motherwoman. I'm down here on the south coast.

Beryl.

Beryl wrote:That explains it Motherwoman. I'm down here on the south coast.

Beryl.

Not really as I am in Yorkshire!

I don't think small and large whites are great travellers..... Painted Ladies certainly are, and peacocks, red admirals and small tortoiseshell do come across the Channel.

A fortnight ago we had lots and lots of small tortoiseshell and now it's mainly peacocks and whites with the occasional red admiral and painted lady. The one sad thing about our areas is that we seem to have lost most of the grassland butterflies (small heath, large and small skipper, meadow brown) after last summer's disastrous breeding season for them.

Oh well, back to the drawing board eh Glallotments.

Beryl.

I think we get the first wave Beryl! Before they head up country to bother Monika and glallotments...

Motherwoman wrote:I think we get the first wave Beryl! Before they head up country to bother Monika and glallotments...

Some of the whites unlike for instance the painted lady are resident in the UK too. The migrating insects just really add to the number so we don't get a 'free' period up here.

Stop blowing them North MW - the IOW is too close to the mainland for them 2 drown on the way over. (They probably hitch on the ferry anyway)

Can u still buy derris - I've not much left? I know it is banned but is that banned - no more production, or off the shelves? Used loads sorting out MW's contribution to my own & am squished out!

Westi

Something very strange is going on here with the huge amount of cabbage whites that have been about for weeks now. They are all laying eggs on the greens, but up until now, none of them seem to have hatched out. Now i'm not sure if the eggs are being eaten, or whether they are being eaten as soon as they hatch, or maybe the eggs are just drying up.
I'm going to try and keep a watch on a couple of selected plants to see if i can see what's going on.

Westi, Derris has gone for good. Powder or liquid. Like you I still have some liquid left, but only use it when I'm desperate.

Beryl.