DIYS Gardening:  The Little Green Bastards

After spending some time weeding my gardening I finally saw what has been munching on my broccoli.  The culprit is the "Green Looper".  This little guy loves to eat any leafy green veggie plants:  broccoli, cabbage, and Tomatoes!  After picking several of these off my plants I went to the internet to learn about my enemy. 

It turns out that these caterpillars have a natural enemy: bacillus thuriengensis or Bt.   Bt is a bacteria which love to get inside the digestive system of there green worms and multiply.  Eventually they kill the host by making it not want to eat.  The caterpillars starves and dies.  Since Bt is naturally occurring it's safe to use, and doesn't affect human or other animals.  You can use it all the way up to a day before harvesting.  I spray this stuff in the morning about 3 times last weeks and the results are terrific.  My broccoli is coming back and I may get a good crop this season.  Bt is sold as Dipel or Thuricide. (ex.  Bonide 803 Liquid Thuricide  or GREENLIGHT DIPEL DUST 1#)