Cole Crops > Year-Round IPM Program > Rosette to Heading > Pests and their Damage

Cole Crops

Pests and their Damage: Rosette to Heading

ON THIS PAGE:
  • Aphids, other
  • Bagrada bug
  • Beet armyworm
  • Cabbage aphid
  • Cabbage looper
  • Diamondback moth
Click on photos to enlarge. Names link to more information on identification and management.
Green peach aphids.

Aphids, other

Identification tips: Green peach aphids are dark green or yellow and have no waxy covering. They are the most common in cole crops, but also look for turnip aphid.

 Adult female Bagrada bug, Bagrada hilaris, (left) and adult male (right).

Bagrada bug

Identification tips: Adults are about 0.2 inch and have black, shield-shaped bodies with distinct orange and white markings. Look for stippled or wilted areas on leaves and new shoots or heads of plants that become stunted.

 Tiny armyworm larvae feed in groups, skeletonizing and leaving webbing and frass on leaves.

Beet armyworm

Identification tips: Larvae are dull green and have light-colored stripes down the back and sides. They can destroy seedlings, consume leaves, or stunt growth by feeding on buds.
Cabbage aphid wingless adult.

Cabbage aphid

Identification tips: Grayish-green with a white waxy coating. Dense colonies covered with waxy droplets develop. They are found feeding deep within the heads of cabbages or Brussels sprouts.

 Cabbage looper larva.

Cabbage looper

Identification tips: Larvae are green, smooth-skinned, about 1.5 inches long, and have two white stripes along each side. They eat ragged holes into leaves, and bore through and contaminate heads and leaves with frass.

 Diamondback moth larva.

Diamondback moth

Identification tips: Larvae are greenish, about 0.33 inch long, and wider in the middle. They feed on leaves, buds, and stalks. Damage is most serious on the growing points of young plants.

Statewide IPM Program, Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California
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