How to Get Rid of Whiteflies to Save Tomato, Cucumber, and More

What is dangerous whitefly

These small insects like to hide on the underside of the leaves to breed there. In just one season, one fly can lay up to 300 eggs and does it very quickly - with an interval of several days. Whitefly larvae literally suck all the juices out of the leaves. And these insects can also carry fungi, bacteria, viruses, which means they can additionally “reward” plants with diseases.

The whitefly loves heat and humidity, so it often settles in greenhouses. But in open beds you can also meet her, mainly in the second half of summer. At temperatures below 10 degrees, these insects die, but their eggs can survive even winter frosts. Therefore, it is important that plant treatments fight the whitefly at all stages of its development.

How to understand that whitefly settled on plants

Several signs allow you to determine its presence in the garden. The leaves of the affected plant turn yellow, curl, become covered with whitish spots, which then darken. On the back you can see the eggs and the remains of white cocoons.

What to do before processing

Carefully inspect the leaves of plants from both sides. With moistened water With a cotton pad, manually remove adult midges, eggs, larvae and cocoon residues from their surface. You need to do this procedure every three to four days. This is an optional step, but it increases the chances of winning the fight against the whitefly.

In the greenhouse, you can hang a few sticky tapes to catch flies: they are sold in hardware or garden stores. This will help reduce the number of adult whiteflies.

How to treat plants from whiteflies with a soapy solution

Grate tar or laundry soap on a grater and carefully dissolve in water at the rate of one part of the chips to six parts of the liquid. Spray the plants generously with the resulting mixture, especially the reverse surface of the leaves, as well as the soil in the garden. Repeat the procedure every 7 days until the complete disappearance of the whitefly and its eggs.

How to Get Rid of Whiteflies with Garlic Solution

Take three or four large cloves garlic, grind them in a special press or grate on a fine grater. Fill the gruel with 1 liter of warm water and let it brew for a day. Then strain the mixture through cheesecloth or a sieve. Thoroughly spray the plants and the soil around them with the resulting liquid. Garlic treatments can be done every 5-7 days until the whitefly is gone.

How to deal with whiteflies with herbal infusion

Chop the greens dandelion or yarrow in a blender or meat grinder. Pour 100 g of greens with 1 liter of warm water and leave in a dark, cool place for 3 days. Strain the resulting infusion through a fine sieve or gauze. Spray the plants and soil thoroughly with it. Repeat the procedure every 5-7 days until the pests disappear.

How to get rid of whiteflies with store-bought products

For this method, special means are useful - insecticides. They are sold in powder, granules or liquid form. There are chemicals - for example, Teppeki, Fufanon, Aktara, Allatar or Iskra. But on vegetable and fruit crops, they stop using them 30 days before the expected harvest. But biological agents can be used at any time. Among the most popular are Fitoverm, Bitoxibacillin, Lepidocide and Actoverm.

Before use, carefully read the instructions: it indicates the consumption rates for each product, the required number of treatments and precautions. Try to spray plants in the evening, so as not to provoke sunburn of the leaves. And do not forget about your own safety: put on gloves, goggles and a respirator before processing.