cauliflowers/beetles

[tjtops]

Does anyone know what the orange beetles with black spots are? They have infested my cauliflower plants which are resolutely refusing to 'make flowers.' The hearts of the plants are covered with these beetles (which are oval-shaped, up to about 1cm long by 1/2 cm wide...) and the outer leaves are definitely getting eaten ??? Mind you, I have pulled off a couple of snails....hmmmm....help please!!

[julian]

when I saw the topic cauliflowers/beetles I thought you were going to give us a new recipe ! shame

[tjtops]

hmmm...cauliflowers au gratin con beetles frito en ajo???!!!

[tjtops]

PS.... had a Google (or was it a gargle??)...and I think they are a variety of 'bean beetle'......does this mean anything to anyone? More to the point, will an ordinary insecticide, eg Confidor, kill them...??

[geegee]

Sounds like it could be shield bugs, do they have a defined head and then a body in the shape of a shield?). Our cabbage and broccoli were infested with the orange and black critters last year because I did not net them. I am afraid prevention is better than cure...using 'cabbage collars' on your cauli, fine mesh over them to stop the critters getting ithere in the first place...short of insecticide you would need to pick them off, but this is tricky as they leap around a lot when you try! We were lucky enough that the cabbages set flower before the infestation, so we managed to get a limited crop but with smaller heads than we otherwise would have got.

[tjtops]

yes geegee...that description fits 'em to a T. I've tried spraying with Confidor so I'll see...do they eat anything else do you know??

[keddyboy]

Leather settees and Citreon Dianes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tjtops]

Wow. They have taste then!!!

[geegee]

Like 'cabbage' white butterflies they seem to love any brassicas - cauli, cabbage, broccoli etc., that was my first year of planting brassicas and they appeared as if by magic, having never seen them before - but no leather sofas in my huerta so thats ok then