One of the most dangerous and voracious pests of plants is the whitefly. This little insect can cause tremendous harm, and we will tell you about the means to combat it and how to get rid of the whitefly in your home.
- How to know the whitefly
- Whitefly Harm
- Signs of plant damage by the whitefly
- How to deal with the whitefly
- Preventive actions
- Mechanical methods
- Fighting folk remedies
- Chemicals
How to know the whitefly
Recognizing the whitefly is not so difficult. You may be caught by a white midge flying past you or sitting on flowers. In this case, you should immediately check all the plants under the leaves for its distribution. And sooner or later you will find a whole swarm of small midges sitting in your flower beds.
The size of the insect is very small - from 1.5 to 2 mm, sometimes reaching 3 mm. They look like small moliform insects, have four wings with a whitish bloom.
In houses and gardens appear mainly in the warm season, in wet weather. For them, the high air temperature of about +30 ° C is very important, and if the temperature drops below +10 ° C, then all the vital processes of the whitefly stop, only the life of the larvae continues.
In the spring, when the temperature is still low, insects feel great in greenhouses and greenhouses, especially if their ventilation is very weak and the plants are planted close to each other. These are ideal conditions for the whitefly.
- tobacco or cotton whitefly (Benisia tabaci G.) - came to us from Southeast Asia, harms vegetable, decorative, technical crops and prefers an air temperature of + 32-35 ° C;
- greenhouse, or greenhouse whitefly (Tricleurodes vaporariorum W.) - prefers greenhouses, greenhouses and houses. Originally from South America, in warm time it spreads with the wind;
- citrus whitefly (Dialeurodes citri A.) - came to us from South Asia and prefers citrus and home plants;
- cabbage (Aleurodes brassicae) - likes to feast on vegetables, in particular cabbage, and amazes her in late summer, early autumn;
- strawberry (Aleurodes fragariae) - harms many vegetable crops, including strawberries.
Whitefly Harm
Whiteflies and their larvae feed on the juices of the plants on which they live, so it is important to notice this pest in time. They are also dangerous with their rapid reproduction - only three weeks are needed from the postponing of the larva to its transformation into an adult.
The greatest danger to plants is insect larvaewhich for the most part feed on sap and are weakly affected by any pesticides. As well as waste products of the pest, which appear on the leaves and stems in the form of a sticky shiny bloom called honeydew.
Over time, the transparent substance on the plants turns black and turns into a more dangerous black fungus. And if this fungus appeared, then the plant can be saved very difficult, and sometimes impossible.It directly affects the process of photosynthesis, and fungicides only suspend its action and can not completely destroy. 
This midge is also a carrier of plant pathogens, such as chlorosis, leaf curl and many other phytopathogenic viruses.
The most dangerous is the whitefly for such groups of plants:
1. From room prefers:
- orchids;
- balsam;
- geranium;
- begonia;
- fuchsia;
2. Greenhouse:- cucumbers;
- tomatoes;
- eggplants;
- pepper;
- cabbage;
- beans.
- potatoes;
- strawberries;
- Strawberry;
- melons;
- apple trees;
- pears
Signs of plant damage by the whitefly
If you notice a whitefly somewhere, then shake the plants, and where they live, you will see a swarm of these midges, and by lifting the leaves, you will also see many translucent scales, which are the larvae.
During infection, there is also observed a general depressed state of the plant and its wilting.Under the leaves and on them there is a considerable amount of white or transparent specks, which are sticky to the touch, - this is honeydew. Over time, the affected leaves curl, turn yellow and fall off. And if dark or brown spots have already appeared, this indicates neglect and oversight.
If you do not detect the whitefly in time, then, given its rapid reproduction, your plants can suffer very much from the damage.
How to deal with the whitefly
When the whitefly has already settled in a greenhouse or on indoor plants, it is important to quickly navigate and find the right tools to properly fight, and finally get rid of the annoying insect. And you should always start with prevention.
Preventive actions
- You need to choose only high-quality planting material from reliable suppliers.
- Planting plants should be quick.
- Greenhouses regularly air or install high-quality ventilation, as the midges do not tolerate temperature fluctuations.
- The ground can be slightly sprinkled with ash, insects in this place just do not live.
- It is necessary to regularly treat cultures with fortifying preparations that will help to cope with the attack of the pest more easily.
- From time to time houseplants need wet rubbing of leaves, and at the same time it is possible to check the presence of uninvited guests.
- In the greenhouses after harvesting is disinfected.
- In winter, the greenhouse is frozen, so that no pests survive.
- At what air temperature the whitefly dies, we indicated above (up to +10 ° C), therefore from time to time you take the affected plants to fresh air, but not below +5 ° C.
Mechanical methods
One of the most well-known methods for catching adults is to hang yellow oilcloth-leaf traps over the plants, smeared with glue, which lure the midges with their appearance. You can also collect them by hand or wash them with soap and water from the leaves if the area is small, for example, on a home flower.
Fighting folk remedies
This insect is quite well adapted to different methods of struggle, because there are few popular methods. In the early stages of infection, you can try:
- medicinal dandelion, 50 g of the roots and 50 g of green leaves which need to grind, pour 1 liter of water and insist 3-5 hours. Before spraying, strain and process 1 time in 7-14 days.
- infusion of garlic, which must be infused for at least four days. To do this, 100 g of finely chopped garlic pour 1 liter of water and insist. Before spraying, 5 g of this concentrated infusion is diluted with another liter of water and we process it.
- leaf treatment with soap solution using household soap or tar soap. Rub the soap, beat it with water until foam and carefully wipe the leaves with this mixture.
Chemicals
Among the existing insecticides, Aktara, Konfidor, Fitoverm, Aktellik, Mospilan and a number of others that can be found on the market or in a specialized retail outlet showed themselves the best.
