There are two opposing opinions about the dangers to tomatoes of such an insect as the whitefly. Some believe that by eating the cellular juice of plants, it dries the leaves. Others are sure that because of its sticky excrement, which the insect leaves on the back side of the leaf, begins to develop a black fungus, which becomes the culprit of the loss of the crop .
One way or another, and the fight against the whitefly, especially on mature tomatoes, which she liked most, must be carried out necessarily, since this small insect in a very short time can nullify all the gardener's labors.
Living conditions of whitefly
In our climatic zone, several species of whitefly are common, and all of them equally harm both indoor and outdoor plants, but prefer to still live in greenhouses. After all, it is there that the most suitable microclimate for them is high humidity and minimal temperature changes.
If you do not know what small, literally, microscopic white butterflies have stuck to tomatoes, then surely this is a whitefly. Her body is only 1-2 mm, and the wings have a powdery white coating. During its life, the insect manages to put more than 200 grayish eggs on the back of the tomato leaf.
Folk remedies from whitefly on tomatoes
It is best to wash the insects from the leaves by hand, using a small sprayer. To do this, you can simply use water or various infusions - herbal (garlic) or soap.
Excellent Velcro traps. They can be purchased at the store or made by yourself. To do this, you need sheets of bright yellow cardboard, linoleum, or any suitable material in color - insects love it more than others. It is smeared with a thick layer of petroleum jelly and laid out near bushes with tomatoes.
After a while, the accumulations of adherent insects are removed and the traps are spread again. But this method is more suitable for the initial stage of infection with these pests, but when a significant area is affected, treatment with chemistry will be required.
In addition, modern gardeners use the biological method of natural catching of insects by their enemies - enkarsia and bedrock by macrolofus. They eat both the whiteflies themselves and their larvae, and then perish themselves.
How to process tomatoes from whitefly?
At the first signs of infection, before using radical measures to destroy the whitefly on tomatoes, you should try harmless methods. These include night airing, in order to reduce the comfort temperature for insects and their death, as well as folk remedies, and only then to switch to heavy artillery.
For spraying tomatoes are widely known and tested drugs:
- "Mospilan";
- "Aktellik" ;
- "Confidor";
- "Pegasus".
Applying them, it is necessary to observe safety techniques, especially in greenhouses - to wear a respirator and gloves, and then thoroughly wash your face and hands, not forgetting to destroy the packaging from the preparation and rinse the spray tank.