Cabbage Butterfly Life cycle

1. Topic : Cabbage butterfly
Cabbage white or Cabbage Butterfly
Scientific Name: Pieris rapae
Family: Pieridae
Order: Lepidoptera

2. Host Range
• Larvae preferred swede, cauliflower , broccoli , turnip rape , caper bush ,
lavender , sarson , cabbage , mustard whereas toria is less preferred.
• Cabbage is most susceptible.
Distribution:
• The large white is common throughout Europe , North Africa , Asia even through
the Himalayas.
• Often in agriculture areas , meadows and parkland.
• It is cosmopolitan in distribution. In India it is distributed all along the Himalayan
region. During winter adult worms migrates to the plains and pass two generations
there. When winter is over they return back to the hills.
Identification:
• Egg:. Large white eggs appear as pale yellow colour. They turn into darker yellow
within twenty four hours after oviposited. A few hours prior to hatching they
become black in colour and the shell will become more transparent and the larvae
will appear

4. Larvae
• Pale yellow or greenish yellow.
• Newly emerged larvae are yellow with shiny black heads.
• After the first moult the colour changes to yellowish-green.
• On the back and sides there are numerous hair-topped
tubercles, which give the larvae a rugose texture.
• Fully-fed larvae are 45 mm long.
• The head is bluish-grey with patches.

6. Pupae
• Length 20 mm
• Pale green or greyish- and dotted with black and yellow markings.
• Several blunt spikes are also found on the abdomen.
• Found on walls , fencing , tree-trunks and stones or under roofs and branches.

7. Adult
• Large
• Body blackish
• Wing yellowish white with a black patch on apical angle of each forewing
• The head , thorax and abdomen are black with grey hair-like scales

8. Marks of Identification:
• The adult male and female butterflies are snow white; males generally
are smaller than females. An adult female butterfly measures about 6.5
cm across the spread wings. The apical angle of forewings of female
has black patch whereas, in male black spots are present beneath the
forewings.

9. Life Cycle:
• Female place their eggs (about 200/female) in groups on the
lower side of the host leaves.
• Most females choose nectar plants
• The eggs hatch in 2 weeks
• Larvae period lasts for 3 weeks
• Pupal period is for 2 weeks
• The pest raises 3-5 annual generations
• Female butterfly, after mating lay eggs on the undersurface of the
leaves of host plant. Eggs are laid in batches of 50-80. Total number
of eggs laid by a female is 160-170. Adult lives for three to twelve days.
The eggs are conical in shape and pale yellow in colour.
The incubation period varies in different season.

11. Nature of damage
• It is a pest of cabbage and occasionally causes serious damage to the crop. They also, feed upon
radish, turnip, cauliflower, tori and other crucifers. Damage is caused by caterpillars. Newly
hatched caterpillars lacerate the leave surface of the host plants and skeletomise them. The grown
up caterpillars voraciously feed on the leaves of host plant and sometimes eat away the whole
plant. The larvae feed and damage the leaves by making big holes in them. Reducing the
photosynthetic area of plant. When heads develop feed on the outer leaves and bore into the center.

12. • Prevention and Control:
1. Collection and destruction of caterpillars from the field.
2. Biological control includes the introduction of Apanteles glomerates, which parasitises the larva
of cabbage butterfly. And other important enemies are Phryxe Vulgaris which kill the pupae
3. Crop spray with malathion (0.05%) or diazinon (0.02%) three weeks before harvesting can reduce
the infestation of this pest.
4. Cauliflower field planted from May to July , covered with netting, covering the crop for 4-5 weeks
after planting was sufficient to exclude and destruction of eggs cluster and larvae.