How to deal with Whitefly? care

Whitefly is a dangerous plant pest. These small flying insects are a bit like miniature white moths that swarm up above disturbed plants. On the leaves of the affected culture, you will find both the eggs of the pests and their larvae in the form of small grayish grains. In this publication, we will describe the main methods of dealing with whitefly.

Beam. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com Marc Kummel

Contents:

Check out our new detailed article: Whitefly and Pest Control Measures.

What is a whitefly like?

Whitewoods, or Aleurodids (Aleyrodidae) Is a family of small insects. There are about 1550 species, 160 genera and 3 subfamilies. There are about 20 species in Central Europe. The scientific name comes from the Greek word aleuron (flour) due to the powdery coating on the wings, and the Russian word comes from the presence of 2 pairs of white wings.

European species of the family are usually about 1,3-1,8 mm in length (up to 3 mm). Slightly resemble small molar Lepidoptera. They have 4 wings, which are covered with a white dusty coating, resembling flour. The larvae of the first instar are mobile, the subsequent ones are motionless. They feed on plant juices. They usually stick to the lower surface of the leaves. Some species are dangerous quarantine plant pests.

Whitefly’s favorite diet of indoor flowers primarily includes: fuchsia, begonia, balsam, passionflower, pelargonium, lantana. For lack of a favorite, the whitefly is capable of attacking most indoor plants. In greenhouse and greenhouse conditions, he prefers tomatoes and cucumbers, but does not disdain other plants either.

How to prevent whitefly from appearing?

Whitefly appears where high temperature is combined with high humidity (greenhouses, greenhouses – first of all), there is not enough ventilation, the plants are too crowded. For this reason, firstly, it is necessary to provide the plant with an optimal moisture-temperature regime and ventilation.

Also, all the preparations that strengthen the plant have a preventive effect – a healthy strong plant with less losses will tolerate the invasion of the whitefly, provided that you still defeat it.

Natural enemies of whiteflies, for example, lacewings and ladybugs, are capable of quickly destroying pests.

White wings on a hibiscus budWhite wings on a hibiscus bud. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com mary wolfe

External signs of plant damage by whitefly

Usually, whiteflies hide on the underside of the leaves. On the upper side of the underlying leaves, a shiny bloom (honeydew, or honeydew) appears – the excrement of insects, on which sooty fungi (“black”) subsequently develop, due to which the surface of the leaf becomes first white and then black.

It is believed that it is the sooty fungi that can greatly harm the plant, and not directly the whitefly. Sometimes, because of them, the growth of shoots stops.

Whitefly control measures

Biological methods of fighting whitefly

Recently, biological methods of fighting whitefly have become more and more widespread. One of them is the placement of the encarsia parasite pupae in greenhouses. The female of this small insect lays its eggs in the body of the whitefly larva. Moreover, the effectiveness of this method is very high.

Also, the predatory bug macrolophus is used to combat the whitefly.

Whitefly chemicals

Common insecticides are effective against whitefly. It should be noted that it is dangerous to be in a room for a long time where plants were treated with insecticides. Also during processing it is necessary to use protective equipment: respirator, goggles, gloves, overalls.

  • Actellic. Dissolve the ampoule in 1 liter of water and treat it during the appearance of the pest. Solution consumption up to 2 liters per 10 sq.m. No more than 4 treatments. The waiting period is 3 days.
  • Verticillin F – 25 ml per 1 liter of water. Double spraying at intervals of 7-10 days.
  • Confidor (20% RBC) 0,1 ml per liter of water. Single spraying.
  • Mospilan (20% RP) – 0,05-0,06 g. Single spraying.
  • Pegasus (25% EC) – 2 ml per 1 liter of water. Twice spraying with an interval of 7 days.
  • Fufanon (57% EC) – 1,2-1,5 ml. Single spraying.
  • Phosbecid Dilute 5 ml per 5 liters of water, consumption – 100 sq. m.

whiteflyะ‘ะตะปะพะบั€ั‹ะปะบะฐ. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com Jonathan Michaelson

Folk remedies for whitefly

Glue traps can be used to catch adults. To do this, take pieces of plywood or hardboard, paint them yellow or white and grease them with petroleum jelly, rosin with honey or castor oil. Insects, attracted by bright yellow or white (preferably yellow) color, sit on these lures and stick. When there are a lot of them on a piece of plywood, it is wiped and again greased with the same solution. You can also use glue fly traps.

Whiteflies do not like dropping temperatures, so you can move the plant to a cooler room. Since whiteflies fly, they can be caught with sticky tapes (available at fly shops).

You can use folk remedies, for example, herbal infusions against insects – they are sprayed with plants. Infusion of garlic is comparatively effective. Chopped garlic cloves (150-170 g), pour 1 liter of water and leave in a tightly sealed container for five days. For spraying, 6 g of concentrate diluted in 1 liter of water is enough. Keep in mind that folk remedies can help if there are not too many pests.

Try rinsing the plant with clean water – whiteflies rinse well. After this procedure, it is necessary to loosen the top layer of soil in the pot.

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Anna Evans

Author โœ“ Farmer

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