[Fleecewife]

Any idea what the myriad small white moths are in my polytunnel?  Definitely not whitefly.  They are about the size of a clothes moth but slightly more delicate, and flutter around up to 18" above the ground.  They are interested in all plants.  I did wonder if they were cabbage root flies, but those are horrid-looking black things.

Even if they are bringing some horrible plague I don't know how to deal with them as they are very agile and never stay still.

I've not seen them in such numbers before.

[Fleecewife]

I've been googling images to see if they are mentioned as pests.  All I can get is white fly and cabbage white butterflies.  Definitely neither of those.

Maybe I'm just in luck and they're nothing damaging 

[Lesley Silvester]

There is something I've heard of (and had on plants) that sound similar. Can't remember what they are called at the moment but I know you catch them by greasing a piece of card and holding above the plant, They fly up in a cloud and stick to it.

[Fleecewife]

Those are whitefly MGM, annoying things, but not what I have.  The other thing you catch with a sticky board is those things which eat semi-circular bits from brassica leaf margins, and ping into the air when brushed against.  Great fun - they even have big machines which do that in organic farming 
No, these things I'm wondering about flutter around singly and are larger than whitefly, but very much smaller than cabbage white butterflies, about 5-6 mm long, also not so brightly white.  They're like tiny fairies.........

[Scotsdumpy]

Are they lacewings? - but they are more green with clear (ish) wings. Look like fairies though!!

[Fleecewife]

Are they lacewings? - but they are more green with clear (ish) wings. Look like fairies though!!

Lacewings are lovely and , yes, fairy-like, but no, it's not those    These wee things are a bit smaller than lacewings, and their wings are opaque.

[SallyintNorth]

You're giving us lots of wildlife conundrums at the moment, FW - you don't have a nuclear research facility near you, do you?!

[Fleecewife]

No - since the Windscale Channel opened up we've been fine 

[sabrina]

I also have them in my pollytunnel, just a few and no idea on anything about them.

[Lesley Silvester]

The other thing you catch with a sticky board is those things which eat semi-circular bits from brassica leaf margins, and ping into the air when brushed against.  Great fun - they even have big machines which do that in organic farming 

That's the things I was meaning. You hold the board above the plants so when they jump up, they stick.


I don't know what yours can be, unless they really are fairies, in which case, you'd better leave them where they are. 

[Fleecewife]

I think they are fairies and I will just let them be.  No-one recognises them as a pest so unless they are some weird mutation (thanks Sallyintnorth  ) they shouldn't do any harm.

It's one of the reasons I have a great hatred for those yellow sticky traps folk dot around their greenhouses and tunnels - they catch bees and hoverflies and lacewings and my fairy moths, all to show how many whitefly you have - you can see those just by looking.  Once something is stuck on those sticky  things there's no rescuing them    (not the sticky boards you mention MGM which are specific to leaping bugs - they're great  )

[Q]

Are they white plume moths - the ones without the full (looking) wings

http://www.meades.org/photos_from_the_garden/white_plume_moth_1.jpg

[Fleecewife]

Are they white plume moths - the ones without the full (looking) wings

http://www.meades.org/photos_from_the_garden/white_plume_moth_1.jpg

I was hopeful there, but the white plume moth is described as 24-35mm, but my moths are only 4-5mm.  Mine are also not so brightly white.
Still, good try 

[waterbuffalofarmer]

there could be an abundance, and don't lunge at me here plz as I am not insinuating anything, of greenfly or other insects which have taken a fancy to your plants? I have quite a few in the garden and they seem ok, but having said that don't caterpillars like cabbage? You may even have a rare species

[Fleecewife]

I've just spent ages going through moth ID and I have a horrible thought that my fairies could in fact be devils, the diamondback moth:  http://ukmoths.org.uk/species/plutella-xylostella  I do hope not as they are apparently great pests of brassica crops.  There has been a sudden explosion of them migrating to Britain.

I'm going to have to consult further, although I don't know the appropriate place to ask.