Prevention in the spring from the whitefly in the greenhouse. How to get rid of whitefly on tomatoes in a greenhouse. The life cycle of a pest - we take it into service

In order to guarantee the provision of the family table with high-quality vegetable products, summer residents install greenhouses on their plots. But quite often in these facilities, comfortable for the growth of plants, pests, infections and diseases appear. The whitefly in the greenhouse is one of the most common and destructive misfortunes, capable of destroying almost the entire crop in the bud.

Signs of a whitefly in a greenhouse

Greenhouses, greenhouses and greenhouse structures are ideal breeding grounds for whiteflies. The insect prefers a humid microclimate with a high temperature, therefore it feels comfortable, it rapidly multiplies in closed ground. The pest is mainly transferred with plant seedlings. Therefore, it is a matter of honor for every farmer to notice the presence of a whitefly in a greenhouse in a timely manner.

The following factors indicate the presence of a pest:

  • sticky and shiny stems of plants and leaves;
  • cloudy white dot plaque on the surface of the foliage;
  • twisted, with signs of wilting leaves;
  • the appearance of chlorosis and a specific yellow mosaic on their plate;
  • the presence of soot fungus;
  • the formation of eggs and wax scales on the inner surface of the plant plate;
  • fruit necrosis.

Touching such a plant is accompanied by the appearance of a flock of white small flies, which instantly fly to another bush. All these signs are irrefutable evidence that the fight against the whitefly in the greenhouse must be started immediately. To dispel all doubts, you can compare the insect with the representatives of this family shown in the photo.

The life cycle of a pest

Aleirodida or whitefly belongs to the family of small flying insects. Outwardly, it resembles either a small moth with long snow-white wings. The body length of the pest is about 2 mm. In nature, there are about two hundred varieties of aleurodides. It lives in a temperate climate. In the central part of Russia, there are several species of voracious whitefly. Pests can infect woody, shrubby and herbaceous plants. In total there are about 300 varieties. The whitefly in the greenhouse leads to the death and spoilage of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, gourds, lettuce, as well as on open ground and even.


Adults appear in greenhouses and settle on the inside of plant leaves. Here they lay small oblong eggs. Fertile females are capable of laying up to two hundred of them in one cycle. A week later, a huge number of children appear, in appearance resembling yellowish-transparent scales. In its development, the insect goes through several stages:

  1. Larval stage. Initially, they are almost invisible, they can be detected with great difficulty. Worms move in search of a comfortable place within a few hours after birth. Having found it, they become motionless, the process of intensive begins. It is this time that is most favorable in order to destroy the whitefly in the greenhouse. After two weeks, she stops eating, her body is enveloped in a dense wax coating, making the larva invulnerable.
  2. Nymph or chrysalis. In this state, insects are resistant to any drugs. They continue to feed on the juice of plants, after 10-16 days they turn into adults.
  3. adult. For some time, adults remain on the leaves. With a small number, whiteflies do not scatter from a chosen bush.

The time of the complete life cycle of insect development is determined by environmental conditions. The higher the temperature, the faster the adult is formed.

7-11.5°C is the death temperature of all phases of a harmful insect.

Greenhouse whitefly in one year is able to grow more than fifteen generations. Throughout the entire period of their lives, pests feed on the amino acids contained in the sap of plants, depriving them of their strength.

Harm inflicted


The product of the vital activity of insects is a cloudy white liquid called honeydew. It serves as a favorable environment for the reproduction of pathogenic microflora. When infected, the plant is covered with a sticky dark coating, which leads to the death of green spaces. All this makes you think about how to deal with the whitefly in the greenhouse in order to save the crop.

Methods of pest control in the greenhouse

  • freeze the new soil, add bleach to it and pour it with a solution of copper sulphate;
  • tightly close the doors of the greenhouse after cleaning the remains of plants and disinfecting it in the fall;
  • after autumn cleaning in a polycarbonate greenhouse, it is necessary to repeat the treatment from the whitefly in the spring with the help of pesticides and disinfectants;
  • inspect seedlings for greenhouse pests;
  • during the entire period of growing plants, monitor the quality of the microclimate in the greenhouse.

Greenhouse treatment in autumn and spring is carried out before planting.
These simple but effective measures will also allow other cultures. If the pest did appear, you will have to solve the difficult problem of how to get rid of the whitefly in the greenhouse.

Chemical and biological methods


Chemical preparations today are the most effective means to remove the whitefly from the greenhouse. Insecticides are injected under the root of plantings or dissolved in an appropriate amount of water, the plants and surfaces of the room are treated. Used chemicals for whiteflies in the greenhouse should be applied in accordance with the recommendations set out in the instructions.

Folk remedies

If the use of the above drugs is not possible, then it is recommended to use folk remedies that help remove pests. Against the whitefly, you can use:

  • bright glue traps;
  • plant umbrella plants in the greenhouse - dill and ghoul;
  • infusion of garlic and tobacco, which need to process plants;
  • smoke bombs.

Interesting!

The whitefly prefers yellow and blue hues. Therefore, there must be exactly these colors.

All the above information will make it possible to detect and recognize the pest in time, take all necessary measures to destroy the pest.

Often, when growing vegetables in a greenhouse, summer residents are forced to fight insects. One of the main indoor pests is the whitefly. This little moth is capable of causing serious crop damage. How to get rid of it - read the article.

Greenhouses, greenhouses, greenhouses - an ideal place for whitefly breeding. She loves high temperatures and a humid microclimate, which is why she breeds more often in closed ground than in open ground. It is carried mainly with planting material. If you notice that you have a whitefly in a greenhouse, how to get rid of it is a matter of time and your patience. There are many different ways, simple and more difficult.


Insect pest whitefly

Attention! Most of the methods of struggle are focused on larvae, because in the process of development, individuals are covered with a wax coating. This kind of cocoon is a reliable protection for the insect; even many preparations are powerless before it.

The whitefly settles in groups on the underside of the leaves and multiplies rapidly: in one cycle, the female lays up to 200 eggs. The larvae look like yellowish-transparent scales.

Throughout the entire period of development, the whitefly feeds on plant sap, sucking out useful substances along with it. Its excess comes out and remains on the leaves as a shiny, like honey, dew. This is a fertile environment for the spread of fungal infections, and adults also carry viruses.

Most often, the whitefly prefers to spoil:

  • gourds;
  • salad;
  • celery, etc.

In total, in the diet of her diet - about 300 types of crops. To determine that your vegetables do not grow well and disappear precisely because of this pest, carefully inspect each bush.


Whitefly larvae

You definitely need to deal with the whitefly if:

  • plants sticky in places;
  • you see white dots on them;
  • leaves change shape, curl up and wither;
  • some of them have yellow spots with fuzzy borders;
  • there are wax scales (larvae) on the inside of the leaf;
  • chlorosis and yellow mosaic appear (leaves lose their green color);
  • necrosis develops on the fruits;
  • when you touch a bush, a flock of white moths flies from it.

Attention! If you see a black coating on the leaves, this indicates the development of a soot fungus. Diseased plants must be removed and burned.

How to get rid of a pest mechanically or manually


Option 1

  1. Rosin should be heated in a water bath.
  2. Next, you need to add castor oil, honey and petroleum jelly, all in equal parts.
  3. After cooling the mixture, it is necessary to apply it on thick paper tapes. Hang them all over the greenhouse.
  4. It’s good if you take plywood instead of paper, having previously treated it with yellow or blue paint. These colors have been proven to be the most tempting for the whitefly. Lubricate the plywood with the prepared mixture and leave it in the greenhouse. This trap is reusable. After enough insects get into it, wash them off and apply the sticky compound again.

Whitefly trap

Option 2. Complex trap.

  1. On several pieces of orange-yellow plastic, apply a layer of entomological glue.
  2. Attach the backlight directly to the plastic.
  3. Hang the traps so that they are flush with the tops of the plants.
    Very quickly, a significant number of whiteflies will flock to brightly illuminated surfaces. Use this method during the day, prepare another trap at night to help consolidate the result.
  4. Place a light bulb painted orange-yellow in the box.
  5. At its level, drill a few holes.
  6. Place a bowl of water under the lamp.
  7. Whiteflies will fly into the light, get burned, fall into the water and die: they cannot swim.

Advice. You can hang sticky tape for flies in the greenhouse. However, its effectiveness is lower than that of special traps.

Destruction of the whitefly by other insects


Encarsia

Attention! During pest control with the help of encarsia pupae, it is highly undesirable to use chemicals in the greenhouse.

Bed bug macrolofus. Effective in greenhouses with tomatoes and peppers. For 1 sq. m enough 5 individuals. Reapply after 2 weeks.


ladybug

Ladybugs and lacewings. Destroy the whitefly in a relatively short period of time. To attract these beneficial insects to the greenhouse, plant alissum, daisies, marigolds, tansy, yarrow in it.

Garlic. Grind a large head and fill it with 0.5 liters of water. Insist 7 days. Dilute the solution at the rate of 5 g per 1 liter of water.

Dandelion. Take 40 g of roots and leaves, crush them, pour 1 liter of water. Strain after a few days.


yarrow

Yarrow. Pour 80 g of finely chopped leaves into 1 liter of water. Let it infuse for 2 days, then strain.

Any of the solutions should be sprayed on the affected cultures. There are no unequivocal recommendations regarding the frequency of use. Some summer residents believe that two times with an interval of 14 days is enough. Others believe that it is better to treat the plants every week for a month. It all depends on the neglect of the problem and on whether you use additional measures for the extermination of whiteflies.

Insect control chemicals

Most often they are used when other methods have proved ineffective. It is undesirable to use them during the fruiting of vegetables. After all, then the crop will absorb some of the toxic trace elements. The most famous include Aktara, Fufanon, Actellik, Permethrin, KRA DEO SUPER aerosol, Biotlin systemic poison, etc.

Advice. When using insecticides, add grated laundry soap or shampoo to them. The preparations will adhere better to the leaves.


Insecticide treatment

Like any harmful phenomenon, the appearance of the whitefly is easier to prevent. In autumn, burn the tops, dig up the ground to raise the larvae to the surface of the soil. In winter, they will die from the cold. Remove the shelter from the greenhouses or disinfect it in the spring, and wash the frame with bleach. Avoid thickening of plants and monitor the climate inside the greenhouse by airing it regularly. Diligently taking care of the plants, you will certainly get healthy bushes and harvest an excellent harvest from them.

Insect pests in closed ground are not so rare. But summer residents are especially annoyed by one small insect, no more than 2 mm in size, which quickly breeds entire colonies on the inner sheets of tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants and peppers and quickly devours everything. And getting rid of it is another task. Familiar situation? So let's figure out how to deal with the whitefly in the greenhouse so as not to damage the crop and get rid of the problem forever. We can console you right away - there is a way out!

Aphid or still whitefly?

First of all, learn to identify the first signs of a pest in the greenhouse:

  • Stickiness is felt in different places of the plants.
  • The leaves are deformed, twisted and wither.
  • On the inside of the leaves you see larvae with a wax coating.
  • Some leaf plates of vegetable crops are covered with yellow spots, but the borders are fuzzy.

What harm does this insect do?

Another unpleasant moment that pests carry in themselves is that they consume liquids from plants in excess, and therefore they secrete a liquid from themselves, which is especially beneficial for the development of all kinds of fungi. And what is especially troublesome is that the insect, in addition to everything else, lays testicles precisely on the underside of the leaves.

The life cycle of a pest - we take it into service

Why, it would seem, does an ordinary summer resident need to know how an insect reproduces and develops? After all, we are not biologists! But it is precisely this knowledge that will help to effectively deal with this scourge: the problem is that many are trying to destroy adults, while a lot of larvae have already been left. Or vice versa. So, let's take a closer look at it. The whitefly looks very similar to aphids, but only white. She settles in large groups on the leaves or young shoots of plants, and lays her eggs there. The larvae appear quickly and look for food on their own. This is the moment you can’t miss: as soon as the larvae stop eating, they can no longer be killed by any insecticides - their bodies are already enveloped in a dense wax coating. In a word, the cocoon of this misfortune is impenetrable, and if an adult appears from the pupa, the crop will be lost, because the body of the young whitefly is also covered with this wax. Then the new generation will migrate to neighboring plants and repeat its entire life cycle, while it is not difficult to guess what remains of the last bush.

Overview of whitefly control methods

So, today there are such types of struggle:

Option #1 - mechanical methods

These are the most harmless measures. We simply take and collect insects by hand, knock them down with water from watering hoses and wipe the stems and leaves with soapy water. The latter, by the way, will also wash off the honeydew. But keep in mind - you can’t catch all the insects, and the downed wet moths still crawl to their feeding anyway. Although the harvest, I must say, will become easier for some time, of course.

Another modern method is yellow or bright blue sticky traps. On them, by the way, you will immediately see how much of this muck is already in the greenhouse. Why such a color? It is the most attractive to pests. You can also hang a regular fly tape in case of emergency. But it is better, of course, to make a high-quality trap:

  • Step 1. We prepare petroleum jelly, thick paper, rosin and castor oil. We mix.
  • Step 2. We drown the rosin in a water bath and add honey, petroleum jelly and castor oil in equal parts.
  • Step 3. The resulting mixture is cooled and applied to a paper base.
  • Step 4 We hang the finished tapes throughout the greenhouse.

Ideally, if you take thick plywood for the base and paint it blue or yellow. Here it is covered with a sticky adhesive composition. Too many whiteflies? Wash off with soap and reapply. Everything is simple!

Option #2 - biological methods

The biological method is also interesting: we will use beneficial insects. For example, lacewings and ladybugs are able to quickly destroy pests. Another way is to make a special herbal infusion.

Recipe #1:

  1. Grind the head of garlic and fill the floor with a liter of water.
  2. Let's brew for about a week.
  3. Dilute the finished product: 5 g per 1 liter of water.
  4. We spray all the plants in the greenhouse.

Recipe #2:

  1. Grind 40 g of dandelion rhizomes and 40 g of leaves of the same plant and pour 1 liter of water.
  2. Let's brew for a few days.
  3. We filter and spray all the affected plants with the resulting solution.
  4. We repeat the treatment after two weeks.

Recipe #3:

  1. Pour 80 g of crushed yarrow leaves with one liter of water.
  2. We insist for two days.
  3. We filter and apply with a sprayer to vegetable crops occupied by pests.

Option #3 - chemical methods

Of course, for a greenhouse, chemicals are not the best options. But if things are really bad, you will have to use insecticides. Take special remedies for sucking pests: Actellik, Pyrmethrin, Malathion, Aktar, Neudosan or Ciermetrin. And in order for the preparations to better stick to the plants, add a little laundry soap to them, after rubbing it on a grater.

The drug Biotlin is considered especially effective - a systemic poison, from which the insect dies instantly. Good reviews in terms of combating this scourge are also about the KRA DEO SUPER preparation - this is a special aerosol that needs to be sprayed on everything at night. But keep in mind that insecticides will only be effective when the insects themselves are in the adult or larval stage. If you are late, the chemicals will be useless.

The most extreme case, if nothing helps at all, after harvesting, remove all the tops, disinfect the soil and set fire to a few sulfuric bombs at night. After that, remove the entire top layer of soil - this is where the larvae hide. Usually after this, the whitefly disappears forever.

How to make an effective trap?

You can make such a tricky trap - it is surprisingly very effective:

  • Step 1. Pieces of plastic are painted in orange-yellow color.
  • Step 2. Next, cover them with entomological glue.
  • Step 3 We fix the backlight - directly on the plastic, which we hang at the level of the tops of the plants.
  • Step 1. We drill holes in the box at the level of the light bulb - and we put it inside the box.
  • Step 2. We also paint the light bulb in orange-yellow color.
  • Step 3. Under the light bulb, at the bottom of the box, put a container of water.

The principle of operation of the trap is as follows: whiteflies tend to this light at night, penetrate inside the box, fly, burn themselves on a light bulb and fall into a container of water. They don't know how to swim.

How to block the "way back" to the pest?

What to do after the pest is destroyed? Did he leave his “spies” behind closed ground? Your fears are not unfounded - and then strictly follow these rules:

  • First: this is a deep digging of the entire greenhouse land - in the fall. If insects burrow into the soil, they will be on the surface, and then the cold will finish them off.
  • Second: After harvesting, always remove and burn all plant debris.
  • Third: never place a composter directly in the greenhouse - all pests from the garden can spawn from it.

But how to make sure that this misfortune never appears at all? What are the preventive measures?

  • Rule 1. For the winter, try to remove the cover from the greenhouse, or at least remove the top.
  • Rule 2. If the coating has not been removed, be sure to carry out spring disinfection of polycarbonate or glass, and treat the frame with bleach.
  • Rule 3. Water the soil before planting with a solution of iron or copper sulfate.

So, are you ready to fight for the sweat and blood earned crop? Believe and do not despair - you will succeed!

Greenhouses are needed in order to create conditions in them that are favorable for plant growth and increase yields. But even in closed ground, various insects can breed. These include the greenhouse whitefly. It is a small white moth up to 2 mm in size and can destroy all plants in a greenhouse in a short time.

At the first sign of damage to crops, you need to find out which particular pest is causing them. If a whitefly is found, it is necessary to quickly take measures to combat the pest until it completely destroys the crop. It is important to choose methods that will not harm the plants, but will get rid of the pest forever. And it is better to protect yourself from the invasion of the whitefly in advance, using preventive measures.

general information

In our latitudes, this insect appeared in the 19th century. Tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, eggplants became his favorite delicacy. An adult whitefly is a butterfly with white wings up to 1.5-2 mm in length. The body has a pale yellow color.

The female lays her eggs on the underside of the leaves so that sunlight does not get there. Their number can vary from a few dozen to a couple of hundred. At first, the eggs are yellowish, after 9 days they become larger (up to 0.25 mm) and blacken. From them flat and transparent larvae appear. In their development, they go through 4 stages. During this period, their size changes from 0.3 mm to 0.75 mm.

When the larva sticks to the leaf, it looks like a shiny flattened scale. It feeds on amino acids from the juice of the plant, destroying its vitality. At the stage of the nymph, the larva becomes a greenish tint. The body is covered with a waxy coating. Red eyes appear. If the whitefly is not destroyed before the formation of the cocoon, then it will be very difficult to do so later. After all, an adult is also covered with a coating, which becomes an impenetrable armor for insecticides. The waste products of the larva contain sugar, which is a favorable environment for infection by fungi.

Signs of plant infection

It is not difficult to find out that it is the whitefly that is operating in the greenhouse. If light small spots appear on the leaves of plants, you need to look for pest colonies. Finding larvae is more difficult. Scales on the back of the leaves are not always immediately visible. Gradually the leaf turns yellow and disappears.

Small midges resembling moths can be seen flying over crops. They can be detected by lightly shaking off the leaves.

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The main signs of a whitefly infection are:

  • A large number of translucent scales on the back of the leaves.
  • A sticky shiny coating on plants (honeydew).
  • The appearance of black spots due to the development of soot fungus.
  • Yellowing and curling of leaves.
  • Plant growth retardation.
  • Fruit necrosis.

Reasons for the appearance

The insect loves high air temperature and high humidity very much, the insect becomes a frequent inhabitant of greenhouses. There, the whitefly can live not only in summer, but also in all other seasons. The destructive temperature for the pest is below 10 ° C. Under such conditions, the entire life process in the colony freezes. But the eggs do not die and can be preserved for a long time in order to reproduce a new generation of moths when favorable conditions are created.

Insects feel especially good in greenhouses that are poorly ventilated, where plants are too close to each other. This contributes to the stagnation of moisture and the reproduction of whiteflies.

Ways to destroy whiteflies in a greenhouse

There are several effective ways to deal with whitefly in a greenhouse. This can be mechanical removal, folk methods or chemical insecticides.

Mechanical method of struggle

The most harmless method of struggle, usually take the following actions:

  • Moths are harvested from plants by hand.
  • Watering hoses are used to "drain" insects from the leaves.
  • Wipe the leaves and stems with soapy water (effective if there are few plants).

Mechanical destruction is only a temporary measure. It is impossible to catch all pests manually. And the insects washed with a jet of water can return back to the leaf. More efficient use of glue traps. Thanks to them, you can evaluate how far the problem with whiteflies in the greenhouse has gone.

You can make your own trap. Melt the rosin in a water bath, add castor oil, honey and petroleum jelly (1:1:1). Cool the tool. Apply the composition to thick paper and place on the greenhouse.

Biological method

The whitefly has many natural enemies. Insects can be planted in a greenhouse so that they destroy the pest:

  • Encarsia pupa - 3 adult insects are enough to settle on 1m 2 area. They will start laying their eggs right in the whitefly larvae. They develop there for a long time, and do not fly out.
  • If peppers and tomatoes grow in the greenhouse, then plant 5 macrolofus bugs for every m 2 of the greenhouse. Repeat this procedure after 2 weeks.
  • The enemies of the whitefly are also the lacewing and the ladybug.

Chemicals

Tools must be used with great care. so as not to harm crops. Modern ones allow you to quickly and reliably get rid of pests without harming your health.

Effective preparations for whiteflies:

  • - a systemic means of prolonged action. Protects the plant for 3-5 weeks. Cultures are watered with a solution of the drug under the root. The poisonous substance thiamethoxam will get into the plant juice that insects feed on. As a result, they die. To kill the whitefly, it is recommended to dissolve a 1.4 g sachet in a bucket of water.
  • Confidor- a drug based on imidaclopridom. Provides contact. Already 90 minutes after the treatment of the greenhouse, whiteflies begin to die. Synonyms of this drug are also Commander, Provado, Admir.
  • Biotlin- a systemic drug that leads to the instant death of pests.
  • Akarin- has a contact-intestinal effect. Effective not only against, but also, some types of helminths,. Leaves are sprayed with the agent, directly on the center of insect settlement.
  • Spark- comes in the form of tablets, powder, liquid in ampoules. Plants are watered with a solution of the drug. It quickly penetrates tissues and remains effective for about 25 days. Usually one treatment is enough to destroy the entire population.

Other chemicals against whiteflies:

  • Alatar;
  • Rovikurt.

Note! Insecticides are effective if the whitefly is in the larval or adult stage. When the insect pupates, it is useless to apply chemicals.

Folk remedies and recipes

The whitefly is not very susceptible to various chemicals. Moths can simply scatter, but after a while they will return again. Therefore, it is better to try folk methods against insects. In addition, they are safer than chemicals.

Proven Recipes:

  • Chop the head of garlic and pour a liter of water. Insist 24 hours in a dark place. Spray on plants. Enough 2-3 procedures with an interval of 7 days between each.
  • Dry the skins of a lemon or orange. Pour 80 g of raw materials with cold water. Infuse for 1 day and add 2 tablespoons of soap solution to the infusion. Treat plants within 5 days. Please note that the product can be stored for no more than 3 days. Therefore, you will have to prepare a new one in order to go through the entire course of processing.
  • Pour 80 g of yarrow leaves with a liter of water. Leave for 2 days and strain. Spray crops infected with whitefly. It is necessary to carry out 3 procedures, with a break of 7 days.
  • Grind 40 g of dandelion roots and leaves, insist in a liter of water for 3-4 days. Filter the infusion and spray the plants once a week. A total of 2 procedures are required.
  • The smell of tansy repels whiteflies, you can plant a plant around the perimeter of the greenhouse.

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Prevention measures

To prevent pests from appearing in the greenhouse, you need to start with prevention:

  • For the winter, it is better to remove the cover from the greenhouse.
  • If you leave the coating, then it must be disinfected, the frame should be treated with bleach.
  • Dig the soil deep before winter. This will raise the remaining pests to the surface, they will die from the cold.
  • After the entire crop is harvested, remove all plant remains and burn.
  • Before planting seedlings, treat the soil with copper or iron sulfate.

The whitefly is a pest of greenhouse plants. It is very difficult to get rid of it. The insect multiplies rapidly and infects crops, and the use of chemicals is often ineffective due to the development of insecticide resistance in whiteflies. Chemicals are not recommended for use on fruit and vegetable crops. Therefore, it is better to protect the greenhouse from the invasion of pests in advance, taking all the necessary preventive measures.

How to deal with the whitefly, how to spray the plants and at what time to treat? Find out the answers to all your questions in the following video:

Whiteflies are very small flying insects. The length of their bodies is about 1 mm. In nature, they live in warm countries. In our climatic zone, pests can settle in greenhouses, greenhouses and apartments on houseplants.

Signs of a whitefly

You have a whitefly if:

  • leaves have punctures or discolored holes;
  • dark or white spots are visible on the underside of the leaves;
  • on the underside of the plates you can see small white midges flying up when the plant is shaken.

What is dangerous insect

The whitefly lives on the underside of the leaf blades and lays its eggs there. Insects themselves and their metabolic products are dangerous. Adults secrete sweet substances, where soot fungus settles. Having strongly multiplied, pests can destroy all the plants in the greenhouse.

Harm from the whitefly:

  • pierces the leaves from the underside and sucks out the juice, weakening the plants;
  • secretes sweet substances on which microfungi dangerous to higher plants develop.

The whitefly is especially dangerous for:

  • cucumbers;
  • tomatoes;
  • eggplant;
  • beans.

Fighting methods

Folk remedies

Environmentally friendly methods of control include mechanical destruction and scaring. Sticky tapes and sheets are hung in greenhouses. Insects stick and die. You can even use regular fly tape.

Whiteflies flock to yellow objects. Several sheets of yellow paper are hung in a greenhouse and covered with non-drying glue. Most of the population will be destroyed.

The whitefly does not tolerate low temperatures well. If tomatoes grow in a greenhouse, the temperature can be temporarily reduced to 15 degrees. The method is not suitable for greenhouses with cucumbers, since pumpkins are more thermophilic.

Tobacco tincture:

  1. Buy a pack of the cheapest cigarettes.
  2. Grind.
  3. Pour a liter of boiling water and leave for 5 days.
  4. Spray the undersurfaces of the leaves every three days until the pest is gone.

At the initial stage, insects can be destroyed with an infusion of garlic:

  1. Grind 100 gr. teeth.
  2. Pour in two glasses of water.
  3. Insist 4-5 days.
  4. Before spraying, dilute 5 grams of infusion in a liter of water.

Ready funds

The following chemicals will help against the pest:

  • Aktar;
  • Atelik;
  • Fitoverm.

Pyrethroids effectively destroy the whitefly:

  • Cypermethrin;
  • Arrivo;
  • Fury.

Use pesticides in the greenhouse in strict accordance with the instructions. All of them, except for Fitoverm, are poisonous to humans, animals, birds and fish.

Sometimes Verticillin is sold in garden stores. It contains the fungus verticillium lecanii, which causes a fatal disease for whiteflies. The leaves are sprayed with the drug. It is advisable to use an adhesive, that is, add a little shampoo or ordinary soap to the working solution.

Traps

Traps are thick sheets of yellow paper, smeared on both sides with glue. The device is suspended at a height of 20 cm above the plants. In addition to the whitefly, it will protect plants from other flying pests, and at the same time destroy flies and mosquitoes.

These traps are safe for humans and pets. Most often in garden stores there are devices manufactured under the brands: Argus and Bona Forte.

You can make your own trap. Prepare in equal proportions:

  • Castor oil;
  • rosin;
  • petrolatum;

Keep the ingredients in a water bath until a homogeneous mixture is formed, let cool. Apply glue with a regular brush on sheets of thick cardboard 30x40 cm in size, painted in yellow-orange color. Hang traps over plants. With each shake of the bush, you can see that the whiteflies rush to the orange rectangles and stick. Periodically, you can wash off insect traps and apply the adhesive mixture again.