Whiteflies, little flying insects, can infect your garden plants and homeplants quickly. Whiteflies cause severe damage by eating the juices from plants and vegetables. These white-winged bugs can also harm plants by infecting them with disease and creating a sooty mold on their leaves.
The insect suborder Sternorrhyncha includes whiteflies and planet-destroying aphids. Whiteflies come in over 1,500 different varieties. Whiteflies are a form of flying bug, not a genuine fly species, despite their name. Cabbage, citrus trees, eggplants, and potatoes are among the vegetables that are attacked by whiteflies.
Greenhouse plants like tomatoes are likewise quickly infested by tiny white fuzzy bugs. Getting rid of whiteflies in your garden can be done quickly and easily with this guide. In addition, there are indoor strategies for removing whiteflies, such as greenhouses and houseplants.
How Do Whiteflies Look Like?
The little whitefly is a parasite that usually resides on the underside of plant leaves. Whiteflies are tiny white moths that feed on bug larvae. With a wingspan of 3 mm, these tiny white flying bugs can be as small as 1 or 2 mm. When startled, swarms of these white sap-sucking insects with tiny triangular bodies will fly away quickly. The bodies of whitefly larvae are small oval shapes.
Where to Find Whiteflies on Plants
Whiteflies reproduce throughout the year in warm climates. Whiteflies can be found on outdoor vegetable crops and in greenhouses all year in colder climes. Whiteflies can be found infesting other houseplants if you bring infected plants inside. Whiteflies, particularly around leaf veins, thriving on the underside of plant leaves. The little flying bugs are difficult to see because they prefer to hide beneath plant leaves.
Whiteflies may also be found on uncovered new leaves. The swarms of bothersome flies prefer fresh plant development to feed on. When the whitefly larvae grow huge, adult whiteflies deposit eggs on the underside of leaves, where they are seldom discovered. Underneath a leaf, adult silverleaf whiteflies
What are the Signs of Whiteflies Infestation?
Whiteflies glands secrete a sticky substance called “honeydew,” which makes leaves sticky. Black sooty mold likes this sticky substance, and it may stain leaves. You’ll see masses of tiny white bugs crawling on the leaf undersides when a whitefly infestation is severe.
You may notice more ants as well as whiteflies flying around your plants in your garden. Honeydew attracts more ants, who may even protect whiteflies from predators, and ants feed on it.
Whiteflies Life Cycle
Whiteflies go through a life cycle that begins with an egg, progresses to larvae, and finally to adulthood. The whitefly life cycle takes between 16 and 30 days, depending on the species. Females can lay up to 400 eggs throughout their lifetime, and adult whiteflies may survive for one to two months. On the underside of upper leaves, female whiteflies deposit their oblong pale-yellow eggs in rings. It takes between seven and twelve days for Whitefly eggs to hatch.
Nymphs or crawlers are two terms used to describe Whitefly larvae. White tiny oval spots are the larvae’s look. Larvae begin sucked on leaf juices as soon as they emerge. The nymphs crawl along the underside of the leaf as they grow. Nymphs that are bigger than the commoner crawl rather than remain stationary.
The nymph develops a heart-shaped body and wings after the fourth instar, or stage. Populations of white plant-killing insects can grow quickly thanks to the short lifecycle of the little whitefly. Whiteflies breed faster and are difficult to detect when the temperature is high. Whiteflies spend their whole lives under leaves.
Whitefly Plant Damage
Weak plant development, spreading disease, and blackened foliage are all examples of how whiteflies harm plants. Then, as the masses of bugs feed on plant juices, a whitefly infestation degrades plant growth. Yellow, withered leaves may drop off if Whitefly plant damage is severe. Whiteflies may cause plant death in large numbers.
Second, diseased plants can infect healthy plants through whiteflies. Whiteflies may migrate to other plants, despite spending the majority of their lives beneath leaves. They may spread illness via their mouths when they begin feeding on those plants. Third, a black fungus can grow if whiteflies secret honeydew.
Leaves look black and unattractive due to this sooty mold. Plant health is not harmed by sooty mold. Plants may, however, be stressed due to insufficient photosynthesis if many leaves are affected.
How to Get Rid of Whiteflies
Hosing down the plants, using insecticidal soap to kill the little white flying bugs, or placing sticky traps to manage the tiny white flying insects are all effective ways to eliminate whiteflies on your garden plants. By keeping whitefly populations down, beneficial insects may help control them. The most successful techniques of getting rid of whiteflies from your plants are as follows.
Get Rid of Whiteflies By Hosing Them Off the Plants
Whiteflies can be naturally gotten rid of by watering your plants with water. The whitefly nymphs and eggs are dislodged by the force of the water spray, and adult whiteflies flee. Sooty mold is also removed from diseased plant leaves by a forceful stream of water.
It’s crucial to be careful while using the garden hose to get rid of the little white bugs. Females of the whiteflies can continue to lay eggs because of their life cycle. As a result, to permanently get rid of whitefly infestations, you’ll need to hose down sick plants every day.
Remember to watch the leaf undersides when you use the hose method to spray whiteflies with water. The whitefly larvae and eggs are found here. To prevent additional bugs from hatching, you must interrupt the life cycle of whiteflies.
Eradicate Whiteflies on Plants By Using Soapy Water
Another effective way to get rid of whiteflies is to use soap water. In 1 gallon (4 l) of water, mix two tablespoons of mild dish soap thoroughly. Spray the undersides of leaves to get rid of whiteflies with a pressure spray bottle filled with soapy solution. For the best results, repeat every two or three days.
Treating pest infestations like whiteflies and aphids with soapy water is an effective way to kill them and their eggs. Also, knocking the little bugs off leaves with a pressure spray bottle is double-beneficial. Remember to apply the solution early in the morning or late at night when using soap sprays for insect control. In strong sunlight, soap residue on leaves may burn.
Eliminate Whiteflies Using Neem Oil
Whiteflies may be killed using Neem oil, which is a natural insecticide. In a gallon (4 l) of water, mix 1 oz. (30 ml) neem oil. Fill a pressurized spray bottle with neem solution. Spray the leaves thoroughly, paying attention to the undersides, to kill whiteflies. When used in the morning or evening, neem oil is similar to soap in that it’s best for getting rid of whiteflies.
To avoid the formation of new whitefly nymphs, use neem oil every few days to kill them. To get rid of adult whiteflies living under plant leaves, thoroughly hose down garden plants on the other days. Neem oil is expensive, which is one of its downsides. It might be costly to make organic neem pesticides for fly control if you have a vast whitefly infestation. In most situations, natural pest control with a soapy water treatment is equally effective.
Get Rid of Whiteflies by Vacuuming Them Off Your Plants
Whiteflies may be eliminated from garden plants using a small handheld vacuum cleaner. Whitefly adults are removed by vacuuming leaves and stems. As soon as you notice the little white bugs that resemble dust under leaves, vacuuming whitefly is the most efficient. To kill off whitefly larvae, you’ll need to use other methods.
It’s important to make sure the white insects don’t escape in your greenhouse, garden, or home to prevent infesting more plants. Seal the vacuum bag in an airtight plastic bag after sucking up the little white bugs. To kill the whitefly adults and larvae, pop them in the freezer for 24 hours. After that, throw the bag away in the trash.
Vacuuming just flying white particles isn’t very successful. If you have whiteflies on houseplants, a vacuum cleaner might be useful. Alternatively, one or two garden or greenhouse plants might be cleaned using a handheld vacuum cleaner.
Control Whiteflies By Pruning Infested Plants
You may remove sections of the plant that are heavily infested with whitefly. Pruning to eliminate whitefly, on the other hand, requires expertise. Overzealous pruning can attract even more whitefly by stimulating new growth. As a result, prune only specific areas of plants that other whitefly elimination procedures have failed to eliminate.
Remember to dispose of the foliage properly after trimming off infected stems and leaves. Put the contaminated rubbish in plastic bags and dump it in the trash can if you don’t want to burn it. Don’t compost leaves, twigs, or plants that have been infested with insects.
How to Control Whiteflies
Controlling populations of whitefly in your garden is crucial. When you eliminate whiteflies for good, controlling them may help keep their numbers to a bare minimum. Introducing beneficial insects and using sticky yellow pads are two good ways to control whiteflies. The ways to control whiteflies successfully are listed below.
Introduce Beneficial Insects to Control Whitefly
Introducing ladybug (left) and green lacewing (right) are two beneficial insects that you can use to control whitefly infestation in your garden. Green lacewings, predatory mites, and predatory wasps are some of the beneficial insects that kill whitefly. Whiteflies can be destroyed by these beneficial insects at any point in their life cycle.
Little parasitic wasps (Encarsia formosa) are said to effectively control whiteflies, according to the journal Annual Review of Entomology. These wasps, for example, may limit the growth of whitefly populations in greenhouses. Whiteflies’ bodies are parasitized by parasitic wasps. The tiny wasps, on the other hand, pose no danger to people.
Green lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea) can also kill whitefly larvae, according to another research. Whitefly predators have been known to kill whitefly larvae on some farms by 99%. Several ladybug species are beneficial for killing whiteflies, mites, scale insects, and aphids in greenhouses, according to several studies.
Use Sticky Yellow Traps for Whitefly Control
To manage whitefly populations, place sticky yellow traps around your garden plants. You may decrease the quantity of white flying insects by installing enough traps around your garden and greenhouse. When used in conjunction with other larval control interventions, the traps are successful on adults.
Yellow sticky traps on whiteflies have been shown to be successful in numerous studies. These sticky traps “significantly reduced the population growth of adult and immature whiteflies,” according to the Journal of Insect Science, for example.
Yellow sticky traps are also effective in controlling whitefly population expansion, according to other research. A low-cost pest control strategy, the traps are simple to setup.
How to Prevent Whiteflies
Monitoring plants early in the season is the best way to prevent whiteflies. Avoiding drought stress, not overfertilizing plants, and inspecting them regularly are some whitefly prevention methods. You may avoid whitefly problems by employing a variety of whitefly control tactics before you get one. The following techniques to prevent whiteflies are recommended by the University of California:
- To avoid whiteflies from developing in numbers, use beneficial insect populations.
- Ladybugs, spiders, birds, and lacewings are among the insects that eat whitefly in your garden.
- Plants should not be pruned excessively.
- Place sticky traps at the start of the season to identify potential problems with flying white insects.
- To avoid over-stimulating plant growth that attracts whiteflies, use organic, slow-release fertilizers.
Plants to Repel Whiteflies
Whiteflies are repelled by marigold plants. Whiteflies are repelled by certain plants. Marigolds, for example, may help prevent whiteflies from approaching tomato plants by being planted alongside them. Chemicals released by marigold plants appear to be off-putting to certain whitefly species.
The efficacy of marigold plants to repel tomato whiteflies was examined in a 2019 research. Because they contain limonene, marigolds are effective repellers. Whiteflies are repelled by the chemical’s odor and are slowed down. To repel whiteflies, researchers recommended planting marigolds throughout tomato fields.
How to Get Rid of Whiteflies on Houseplants
Houseplants can quickly be infested with whiteflies. Warming temperatures may promote whitefly populations to thrive indoors quickly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. You can usually avoid severe whitefly infestations by caring for houseplants properly and watering them correctly. For houseplants, there are a variety of methods for getting rid of whiteflies:
- Use sticky yellow traps to control whiteflies. Catch the little white flying insects with the yellow traps placed in plant pots. Whiteflies on houseplants may also be prevented using these traps.
- Vacuum whiteflies from houseplants. To prevent injuring plants, set the vacuum setting to low and suck the bothersome white flying bugs off of your prized houseplants.
- Spray soapy water on whiteflies. Fill a spray bottle with water and add a few drops of mild dish soap. Spray infected plant leaves with the spray, then dry. To help manage whiteflies indoors, apply the soap solution twice a week.
- Neem oil to control whiteflies. Neem oil is effective at killing whiteflies in the home because of its insecticidal properties. For more information on how to make a neem oil solution, read the article on how to eliminate houseplant pests naturally.
Controlling Whiteflies in the Greenhouse
It’s extremely difficult to get rid of whiteflies from plants in a greenhouse. All whitefly species reproduce quickly in closed, warm, humid environments throughout their life cycle. Regular hosing, sticky yellow traps, and the introduction of beneficial insects are all ways to control greenhouse whiteflies.