One of the most insidious garden pests is the whitefly. This small insect, whose length does not exceed 2.5 mm, is distinguished by its exceptional ability to reproduce. Voracious insects are capable of completely destroying cultivated plants growing in closed ground.
And if the heat-loving whitefly needs a fairly high ambient temperature to exist in the open air, then in greenhouses and greenhouses it can exist all year round, causing irreparable harm to greenhouse plants.
How to deal with whitefly in a greenhouse
How to detect the presence of whiteflies
The insect has an original appearance, so it is simply impossible to confuse it with others:
- The body is light green, and the wings are milky white.
- Superficially it resembles a moth, but has a more elongated body, 1-3 mm long.
- Whitefly larvae may have a yellowish or gray tint, and their mobility depends on the period of the life cycle.
This is what a whitefly looks like Source wp.com
Tomatoes affected by whitefly Source stopklopu.com
Chemicals
It should be noted that almost all of the drugs listed below are very good and effective. The main thing is to strictly follow the instructions and observe safety measures when processing plants, since the toxic substances included in the composition are harmful to humans.
"Aktar". Treatment with this substance helps remove whiteflies for a period of up to 1 month. Treatment is repeated 3 times every 7 days to destroy midges in all life cycles of development. Vegetables can be eaten only after 60 days after the last application of the drug "Aktar". 1 sachet, containing 4 g, is diluted in 5 liters of water. This is enough for a large greenhouse area. To destroy, spray and water at the root.
"Aplaud." Can be used both in greenhouses and in open ground. Japanese insecticide allows you to get rid of insects for 1 month. Diluted 0.5 kg per 1 ha. To process 1 hectare you will need 1500 liters of water.
"Confidor". The drug is quite effective, so one treatment is enough. After an hour, the midges begin to die.
"Iskra Golden" These are tablets that easily dissolve in water. Also available in the form of ampoules, powder and sticks. A solution of 2 ml per 10 liters of water is prepared and sprayed on the plants. 1 or 2 treatments with Iskra Zolotoy are enough.
"Tanrek". A very effective and low-toxic substance that practically does not accumulate in fruits. To spray vegetables and indoor plants, you need to take 5 ml of the drug per 10 liters of water, for trees and bushes, 3 ml. Safety precautions must be observed when working with Tanrek, so be sure to wear respirators or face masks.
How to prevent it from appearing
Actions related to the fight against whitefly should begin in the fall, immediately after harvest. To do this, you need to completely remove plant debris from the greenhouse. This way you will reduce the likelihood of the pest getting into the ground, where it can easily overwinter and wait until spring.
In the spring, at the seedling propagation stage, do not place seedlings next to home crops. The whitefly loves geraniums and pelargonium, from where it moves to young shoots, and with them ends up in the greenhouse. Therefore, try to ensure that indoor flowers and seedlings of tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers are located on different windowsills.
Why I decided to fight whiteflies in the greenhouse
The adult whitefly can be confused with the beautiful snow-white moth. But this pretty and defenseless, at first glance, creature is a serious enemy of the gardener. The insect, like a small pump, sucks out the cell sap of various greenhouse plantings - tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage.
The vital activity of the pest inhibits the development of plants. The seedlings stop forming green mass and do not bloom. Fruiting is unfriendly, and the harvest is small and of poor quality. When infested by whiteflies, the plant may die from a lack of nutritious cell sap.
Greenhouses are a favorable place for pests to live and reproduce: warmth, high humidity, and an abundance of lush greenery. During a 30-day life, one female manages to lay 100-150 eggs. After 20-40 days, the larvae will already turn into adult voracious butterflies.
The cubs themselves also have a good appetite. The danger of larvae is that they are invisible to the naked human eye. The length of their bodies does not exceed 0.3-0.9 mm. Like adults, they feed on cell sap. They lead a hidden lifestyle - the female lays eggs on the inner surfaces of leaf blades.
whitefly on vegetables
Fighting methods
The greenhouse whitefly is a frequent enemy of gardeners in central Russia. There are a lot of methods to combat insects, let's look at the most effective of them using specific examples.
Whitefly and its larvae Source vseprodachu.ru
Manual method
The manual or mechanical method of controlling whiteflies refers to the collection of insects and clusters of eggs and larvae (if there are small numbers of them). If the concentration of moths is higher, they can be knocked down with a stream of water from a watering hose. After the plants are cleaned, each leaf (on both sides) is wiped with a solution of laundry soap (proportions 1 to 6). At higher concentrations, a household vacuum cleaner can be used. With its help, you can not only knock down harmful tenants, but also spray soap concentrate.
How to deal with whitefly Source vosaduly.ru
Healthy! This method is considered the most time-consuming and least effective. It is used at the early stage of colonization and in the presence of a small number of plantings.
Preventive measures
As with any other pest, it is easier to block the path to infestation next season. This will help:
- cleaning and burning plant residues and mulch in the fall;
- digging up the ground before winter;
- soil disinfection if there were pests in the greenhouse;
- freezing the greenhouse in winter will destroy all whiteflies;
- spring treatment of structures or fumigation of the entire greenhouse;
- painting of structures;
- checking seedlings for the presence of larvae and adult whiteflies;
- treating the soil with vitriol or copper sulfate before planting seedlings;
- follow the norms for planting bushes - do not thicken the plantings;
- preventive treatments with folk remedies.
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Biological countermeasures
Another no less effective, but completely environmentally friendly way to combat it is the use of other insects - competitors. By planting just a few representatives of one species or another, you can completely disrupt the pest plantation without the risk of harming the plantings. Below are some of the most inveterate enemies.
A bug eating whiteflies Source mrdachnik.com
Macrolophus caliginosus is a voracious predator bug that feeds on many insect pests. It is used as one of the highest quality and proven methods of combating aphids, whiteflies, spider mites, and tomato leafminer moths. It is advisable to populate them every 2 weeks for a month. After this, the insects will take root and begin to independently maintain their population.
The most beautiful defender of your greenhouse Source fotokto.ru
The ladybug is one of the main enemies of many insect pests in garden areas. It feeds on whiteflies, aphids, scale insects, small caterpillars, spider mites, Colorado potato beetle larvae and many enemies of the gardener.
A parasitic insect that destroys pest larvae Source newogorod.ru
Encarzia is one of the most effective opponents of our pest. Belongs to the category of parasitic parasitic parasites, the larva of which pupates in the host's shell. About a week before planting the seedlings, place 3-4 bags of the parasite in the greenhouse. The females will independently find the whitefly and lay their embryos in its body, which will destroy their host.
Interesting! Common tansy planted in a greenhouse nearby provides good protection against whiteflies.
Yellow tansy is a gardener's friend Source fs3.fotoload.ru
Harm caused
By attaching to leaves and feeding on their juices, the pest slows down the growth of the plant and deprives it of strength for further development. First, subtle transparent scales appear on the lower part of the leaves; traces of a sticky and shiny coating are visible in different parts of the plant - secretions of insect waste products. If you shake an infected bush of tomato or cucumber seedlings, a whole swarm of white moth flies will appear above the garden bed. Then the leaves turn yellow and curl, and dark spots appear on the fruits. As a result of insufficient nutrition, the plant dies.
You need to try to get rid of whiteflies on tomatoes in a greenhouse when the first signs of infection appear
The creation of the most comfortable conditions for pests is facilitated by heat (air temperature about 22 ℃) and a high level of humidity (from 65%).
It is important to understand that both adult individuals and their larvae pose a danger to vegetable crops. Together they suck out juices in large quantities and secrete a lot of liquid substance, the so-called shiny coating. Sooty fungi often appear on the secretions left by pests in the form of dark spots.
Prevention measures
The whitefly prefers to settle in greenhouses, because they provide optimal conditions for its feeding and reproduction. Increased air temperature, humid microclimate, a large number of plants planted in a small area. To avoid trouble, you need to follow preventive measures:
- Maintain the recommended distances between seedlings and do not thicken the plantings.
- Form bushes in a timely manner and remove excess shoots.
- Weed out weeds and loosen the soil.
- Do not leave plant residues in the greenhouse after weeding or processing the bushes.
- Ventilate the greenhouse regularly.
- Do not close the greenhouse for 30-40 minutes after watering.
- As for tomatoes, which are more often affected by whitewing than other vegetables, the plants are watered abundantly, but not more than 2 times a week.
Whether it is prevention or not, it has now become popular to add predatory insects – entomophages – to the greenhouse. Natural enemies of whiteflies are encarsia, macrolophus bug, ladybugs, and lacewings.
Interesting fact! According to many vegetable growers, whiteflies rarely linger in places where dill grows.
