Curious about the white insects you see in your garden? Whiteflies are spot-like insects that are often seen in vegetable or ornamental gardens. Despite being small, whiteflies can wreak havoc in your garden if not managed and controlled correctly.
Pest control and management are essential for every garden. Getting rid of pests such as whiteflies helps keep the vegetables or flowers healthy. But how do you exactly manage, control, and prevent a whitefly infestation?
Controlling a whitefly infestation is critical in keeping your garden well. Here is a brief introduction and a helpful guide on whiteflies and whitefly infestation management to give you an idea about the dangers of whiteflies.
Whitefly Identification
Whiteflies are small white-winged insects that live in lush vegetable gardens and flower beds. Despite their names, whiteflies are not true flies. Instead, they are more related to aphids and mealybugs.
Appearance
Young whiteflies, called nymphs, vary in color depending on the type of whitefly. Whitefly nymphs can have a light yellow, white, or even black body. Once they turn into adults, whiteflies have a white-yellow body and white wings on their backs.
Eating Habits
You can find whiteflies in clusters on the underside of leaves. Generally, whiteflies prefer to feast on new growth or unfurled buds. They feed by inserting needle-like suckers to sip on the leaf sap and plant juice.
Plant Damage
Although the damage caused by whiteflies is not as apparent as chomped leaves, their eating habits can be dangerous for vegetables and flowers. Whitefly-infested plants may show symptoms such as wilting of leaves, poor production, and the presence of black mold fungus.
Life Cycle
Female whiteflies multitask by laying eggs and feeding at the same time. Once laid, it would take 5 to 7 days to hatch and turn into nymphs. Nymphs would constantly eat for 2 to 3 weeks before going into a non-eating phase. After its rest, the nymphs would turn into adult whiteflies.
How to Control and Prevent Whitefly Infestation
Clusters of whiteflies underneath your plant’s leaves can quickly go unnoticed to untrained eyes. The most common whitefly infection symptoms are whittling, yellowing leaves, dry and dying plants, poor plant production, and black mold build-up.
One of the first things that you can do to prevent any pest infestation in your garden is to know which insects are beneficial and not. By doing so, you can quickly identify which ones to get rid of and which ones to attract purposely.
Planting different flowering plants or insectary plants can lead to beneficial insects in your garden. If you will purchase plantlings for your garden, make sure to meticulously inspect them to see any sign of infection or disease.
Another preventive measure against whitefly infestation is hanging sticky traps above the plants at the start of the season. These traps can help catch roaming insects even before they invade your garden entirely. Spreading slow-release fertilizers before whitefly season can also help keep whiteflies from populating and damaging your plants.
Considering whiteflies prefer new growth, avoid pruning your plants as the young leaves attract insects. A properly designed row cover can keep whiteflies out but let air, light, and water pass through.
How to Get Rid of Whitefly Infestation
Aside from preventing whitefly infestation, it is also essential to know how to get rid of pest infestations if you already have one. You can do a lot of simple measures to get rid of whiteflies trying to destroy your garden.
One of the first things you must do is use a garden hose or a spray bottle to dislodge the clusters underneath the plant leaves. Doing so will scatter the adult whiteflies and remove some nymphs and eggs. Spraying a generous amount of insecticidal soap can also help kill some more whiteflies and eggs. Repeating this process as needed can help clear your garden from whiteflies.
Other methods that you can use are spraying a mixture of dish soap and water or using a handheld vacuum to get rid of nymphs and eggs on your plants.
Keep in mind to spray only in the evening or when the weather or temperature is relatively cool. Watering your plants when it’s hot can harm your plant’s health.
The Most Common Whitefly Types |
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| Greenhouse Whitefly (Trialeurodes Vaporariorum) | Commonly found in greenhouses, this whitefly has a solid white tint and flat, triangular wings. Greenhouse whiteflies thrive in temperate climates and cannot survive in freezing or cold weather. |
| Silverleaf Whitefly (Bemisia Tabaci) | Regarded as one of the most common types of whitefly in the US, Silverleaf whiteflies also have the same silvery-white color as greenhouse whiteflies. However, Silverleaf whiteflies are shaped more like a grain of rice.
You can find Silverleaf whiteflies in crops, gardens, as well as greenhouses. |
| Bandedwinged Whitefly (Trialeurodes Abutilonia) | Unlike greenhouse and Silverleaf whiteflies, bandedwinged whiteflies have a distinguishable grey zig-zag pattern on their wings.
Bandedwinged whiteflies are also common in the US and can thrive indoors during cold weather. |
Whiteflies are one of the most serious threats to crops that should be prevented as soon as possible. Looking for pest control professionals or looking for more helpful information about home and garden pests? Check out Pest Guide today!
Did you know?
“Did you know that whiteflies may not be harmful to humans, but they can damage and kill your plants by sucking the sap, juice, and moisture from the leaves?”
Check Out Pest Guide Today For More Useful Information
Pest infestations can easily ruin your garden if not handled properly. And despite their spot-like appearance, clusters of whiteflies can quickly kill your most precious vegetables and flowers.
For any gardener, learning how to manage pests such as whitefly infestations should be a must. Contact Pest Guide to learn more about management, control, and prevention for the most common home pests.
Frequently Asked Questions
Whiteflies are commonly found in ornamental gardens, vegetable gardens, and greenhouses. This pest lives on the underside of a leaf as it lays eggs and consumes the plant’s sap and juice.
Whiteflies are not harmful to humans nor pets, or livestock. However, whiteflies infestations are menacing to plants and vegetables.
A whitefly’s life cycle lasts roughly 2 to 3 months. It takes a month for an egg to become an adult,