How to Prevent Butterflies in Tennessee

While many gardeners want to attract butterflies to their gardens, there is a cost to inviting these beautiful insects into your yard. While adult butterflies may help pollinate your plants, they can just as easily devour them as caterpillars. Protect your garden from butterfly larvae with these prevention tips from U.S. Pest Protection.

Identify the Butterfly Species in Your Garden

Before you try to prevent butterflies from making your garden their home, identify the species. Most butterfly species are more beneficial than destructive to your plants. The only type of butterfly that could truly be a “pest” is the cabbage white butterfly, whose larvae feed on a variety of plants and crops.

Cabbage white butterflies have mostly white wings, with partially gray tips. Male cabbage white butterflies have one black spot on each wing, while females have two on each wing. If you’re unable to identify the butterflies around your garden, contact U.S. Pest Protection’s knowledgeable experts.

Protect Your Plants

There are multiple simple and eco-friendly ways to prevent cabbage white butterflies from laying their eggs in your garden. Place mesh netting over plants that cabbage white butterflies are drawn to, including:

• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Bok choy

By putting mesh netting around your plants, you can prevent cabbage white butterflies from landing on your plants’ leaves and laying their eggs. In addition to keeping butterflies away, the netting could help prevent other pests from attacking your garden.

Garlic can also help keep cabbage white butterflies away from your plants. Its strong odor will discourage the butterflies from laying their eggs without causing them any harm. To create a garlic spray, mix two pureed garlic bulbs with ½ cup of water and pour the mixture into a spray bottle.

Prevent Butterflies with U.S. Pest Protection

While these solutions may help prevent cabbage white butterflies from invading your garden, they could also keep away beneficial butterflies. Our experts will help you determine whether your garden needs butterfly prevention.

Keep your garden healthy and protect helpful butterfly species with U.S. Pest Protection. Schedule your free inspection today.