Both BT and floating row covers work well. You might also want to encourage paper wasps on your property. Two years ago, my paper wasps controlled the cabbage worms for half the season. Last year, I saw tons of butterflies, but very, very few worms (and those I saw were dead and parasitized by Apanteles glomeratus, a parasitic wasp). The paper wasps kept them under control the whole year. I didn't have to do anything. It was great! Bellatrix

Anything that lays eggs on a vegetable plant is 90+% likely to be a pest you don't want. Bugs lay eggs on plants that the young are supposed to feed on. Eggs on veggies almost always equal something squish worthy. I commend you for wanting to know what the bug is (will be) before killing it, that is noble. The sad truth is that while there are zillions of bugs out there, many good, many harmless when it comes to veggy gardens the ratio is turned upside down. Most bugs in a veggy garden are either harmful or there to eat harmful bugs and bugs that lay eggs on veggies almost always are the harmful ones. Eggs on veggies=squish.

This exact problem with ants is happening with my broccoli in our fall garden. Thousands of them! What is the Solution?! I transplanted the first victim plant away from the ant colony and sprayed all the ants after stirring their mound of dirt which was full of white eggs! Now, the ants are attacking the transplant again along with a second broccoli plant, and both are seriously wilting. This time there is no visible ant mound. I only have one good broccoli plant left! When I jiggle the base of the infested stems, ants pour out of the dirt. They are NOT aphids and ZERO cutworms or cutworm damage has been observed.

Bees, yes you leave an open hole. It is important that the hole be 3/4 to 7/8 inch diameter and just under 2 inches deep. You can whittle a stick or use the cut off end of a small broom handle of the appropriate size. There should be a thin layer of soil at the bottom of the hole, just enough for the seed to get started growing. When you drop the seed in the hole, you will be able to see it at the bottom of the hole. Leave it just like that. The hole maintains a humid environment just right for brassica seed to germinate. As the cotyledons expand, the plant will grow upward toward the light until it emerges above the soil. City, if you are having problems with damping off, verify that you are starting with sterilized seed start mix such as Promix BX. Watch carefully that you don't over-water. Phytothora and Rhyzoctonia thrive in very high moisture soils. Tomato and pepper seedlings in particular are susceptible to these soilborne diseases. Overwatering is the usual culprit. It is important with tomatoes and peppers to let the soil dry out until the seedlings start to wilt before watering. This will keep the damping off under control. Please note that this is not needed with brassicas. They are much more tolerant of soil moisture levels.