A swarm of white flies above a pot with surfinia or geraniums is a sign that the plants have been attackedgreenhouse whiteflyThis pest, known mainly from greenhouse crops, also often attacks potted and balcony flowers, and recently, it appears more and more often in gardens. Get to know the bestnatural and chemical methods of controlling the greenhouse whiteflyHere are simplehome remedies for whiteflythat will free us from this pest in growing plants in the apartment, on the balcony and in the garden!
Greenhouse whitefly on kohlrabi leaves
Greenhouse whitefly - description, feeding symptoms
Greenhouse whitefly(Trialeurodes vaporariorum) is a small (1.5 mm) winged insect with a light green body color, covered with a waxy coating. A thick layer of this bloom makes the insect appear snow-white. The female lays eggs on the underside of the leaf blade, placing them in rows in an upright position. Freshly laid whitefly eggs are creamy white and turn dark gray or graphite as they develop. The whitefly larva is flat, yellowish white and reaches a length of 0.3 mm. To see the larvae you need to examine the underside of the leaf under a magnifying glass.
Adults and whitefly larvae feedin large numbers on the underside of the leaves. When we move an attacked plant, a whole swarm of white insects rises. The whiteflies suck the sap from the leaves, as a result of which the leaves turn yellow, deform and dry, and the plant's growth is inhibited. Adult whiteflies and larvae, while taking food, excrete the honeydew (honey dew) that covers the leaves of the plant.Honeydew fungi develop on the honeydew layer. The mycelium grows, covering the plant with a black sticky substance that clogs the stomata.
The greenhouse whiteflyis an insect that threatens many species of vegetables and ornamental plants, grown in the field or under cover. The main atactic species for the greenhouse whitefly are tomatoes grown under cover, but the pest also often attacks capuchin vegetables. Among indoor plants, the greenhouse whitefly most often attacks geraniums, surfinas and fuchsia growing in boxes.The development of whiteflies is favored by dry air , warmth and quiet places. Therefore, they often appear in winter, attacking flowers in heated apartments.
When looking for a whitefly, it is worth checking the underside of the leaves
Greenhouse whitefly - home remedies, natural control
The greenhouse whiteflyis a hard-to-control pest. However, before we reach for chemicals and sprays, it is worth using safe for use in the apartmentnatural methods of fighting the whitefly .
A commonly usedmethod of controlling the greenhouse whiteflyis the use of yellow sticky boards, which attract adults. The boards are placed near the flower boxes or by the vegetable beds. Sticky trap kits are available from garden stores.
OtherHome method of fighting the greenhouse whiteflyis catching adult insects with a vacuum cleaner. It is best to carry out this treatment early in the morning when the insects are not very mobile due to the lower temperature. The attacked plant should be shaken to make the whiteflies take flight and then pull them into the vacuum cleaner. Then destroy them.
Unfortunately, yellow sticky boards against pests and catching them with a vacuum cleaner are effective only in the case of adult whiteflies and only until the adults lay eggs. When more larvae start to hatch from the eggs and there will be a lot of them, we will not cope with the above-mentioned methods.
A natural way to scare whiteflyis to spray or water the flowers with tobacco infusion. To prepare the infusion, pour 100 g of tobacco (can be used for making cigarettes) with 1 liter of boiling water. Let the vessel with the prepared preparation aside for 24 hours. After this time, strain the solution and dilute with water in the ratio 1: 2, then spray it.
Anothernatural preparation for fighting the greenhouse whiteflyis a decoction of tansy herb. To prepare it, we need 50g of ground herb or 7.5g of dried tansy. We pour a liter of water over them and soak for 24 hours. Then cook for 20 minutes. After cooling down, strain. Before use, dilute 1: 5 with water.
We can also reach for the greenhouse whitefly control agentsavailable in gardening stores , containing active substances of natural origin, such as Agrocover and Emulpar 940.Both of these preparations are available as concentrates for the preparation of spraying for garden crops, as well as in ready-to-use form in a container with a sprayer, which is convenient for small crops at home and on the balcony.
Greenhouse whitefly - Trialeurodes vaporariorum
Greenhouse whitefly - chemical control
The large number of whiteflies inhabiting our plants is associated with the need to use more radical methodsto combat the greenhouse whitefly , i.e. spraying with chemical plant protection products. Remember to choose agents with not only contact, but also systemic or systemic action, which will allow you to combat various development stages of the whitefly. In the case of such preparations, the active substance enters the plant sap and is taken with them by both feeding larvae and adults. whitefly. These types of preparations include Mospilan 20 SP (one package of 2.5 g / 6 l of water) and Polysect 005 SL
When spraying plants, be careful to thoroughly cover all parts of the plant with the liquid. We repeat the treatments after 7 days.Chemical control of the greenhouse whiteflyis difficult as this pest quickly produces insecticide-resistant generations. Moreover, eggs and pupae are not very sensitive to chemicals. Therefore, it is worthcombining different methods of fighting the whitefly , remembering that despite the use of chemical spraying, the above-described natural methods should be used all the time.
Both chemical and naturalmeasures to combat the greenhouse whiteflycan be ordered in the shop of our guide. To see the list of available whitefly preparations and sprays, press the button below.
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MSc Eng. Agnieszka Lach
