Damn White flies are killing me!!!!! so I got these.
The Pest: Whiteflies
First Sign: Tiny, pure white "moths" resting on leaf surfaces. When disturbed, these moth-like flies quickly flutter up, then settle back down onto plants. Leaves may appear shiny with honeydew. A magnifier reveals clear-white "scales" (the pupae) on the undersides of leaves. All stages of Whiteflies suck plant juices.
Most Common Species: Greenhouse Whitefly & Sweet Potato Whitefly. It's so difficult to be certain which species you have, that we advise either consulting your county agent to be sure, or simply widening your predator strategy to cover both species - it's not uncommon to have both pests together.
Special Species Notes: What finally kills plants with a Whitefly infestation isn't usually the Whiteflies, but a black sooty mold that grows on their accumulated honeydew. By this stage, there'll be clouds of Whiteflies. This is the time to rinse any shiny honeydew off the plants with a strong soapy water spray to prevent sooty mold from growing.
Greenhouse Whitefly Control:
Whitefly Parasites
Tiny
Whitefly Parasites (Encarsia formosa) lay their eggs inside developing Whitefly pupae, so a Whitefly Parasite hatches out instead of a Whitefly. You'll need a magnifier to see them, but they spell death for Greenhouse Whiteflies, and they provide some limited control of Sweet Potato Whitefly as well.
Sweet Potato Whitefly Control:
Whitefly Predators
Whitefly Predators (Delphastus pusillus) eat from 150 up to 600 Whitefly eggs a day! It takes them about 30 seconds to eat a Whitefly egg; slightly longer to eat a larva. They especially prefer the eggs of Sweet Potato Whitefly and Silverleaf Whitefly.
Other Controls: Some customers also report good results with
Green Lacewings or
Pirate Bugs.
Most Effective Release Strategy
Greenhouse Whitefly Control:
Four Parasite Releases, Two Weeks Apart.
Sweet Potato Whitefly Control:
Six Predator Releases, Two Weeks Apart.
Concentration/Coverage:
Parasites - 1,000-3,000 per 1,000 Sq Ft.
Predators - 300-500 per 1,000 Sq Ft.
Applying Parasites:
Your Whitefly Parasites arrive packaged, ready to hatch, glued to small, perforated cards which you hang among plant foliage. Parasites work best when temperatures average at least 68 F. (add daytime & nighttime temperatures and divide by 2). Parasites emerge as adults within 2 weeks and fly off to hunt for more Whitefly pupae to parasitize.
Applying Predators:
Simply shake them out of the container they come in, onto plant foliage. Best at 65 - 90 F.
Enhanced Strategy:
Sticky Yellow Traps.
Whiteflies are strongly attracted to the color yellow. In fact, you really shouldn't wear yellow clothing around Whiteflies or you're almost sure to carry them from plant to plant. Our
Yellow Whitefly Traps are coated with a long-lasting sticky substance and the Whiteflies just fly right to them! This is an excellent secondary tactic, especially when intense infestations need to be knocked down in a hurry.