Whitefly is a small insect that feeds on the juice of plants and leads to its drying out and even death. About 200 species of these pests are known, their habitats are warm regions of the planet, but the most common are greenhouse whiteflies, which settle on vegetables and home ornamental plants.
What does a whitefly look like?
The pest of the whitefly resembles a small moth of white color. They are unobtrusive, because they hide on the inside of the leaves, and their size is small - only 2 mm in length. Adult individuals lay eggs on the leaves of the ring-shaped form, from which the mobile larvae hatch, which find a suitable place for food on the plant and are fixed there. Wax glands of the larva release a dense substance that securely fixes it on the leaf and protects it from external influences. In the resulting cocoon, the process of laying the organs of an adult insect - the wings, paws, antennae - occurs. For this period the food stops.
At the stage of exit from the larva, the whiteflies look like grayish grains. They firmly attach to the plant and drink its juice. At this phase of development, they are covered with a special wax coating, which makes ineffective preparations from whitefly and other measures of influence.
To understand how to deal with the whitefly, one should know the main signs of the defeat of plants:
- touching the plant, you can see how the insects fly up;
- on the underside of the leaves a sticky, shiny coating forms, in which medium mushrooms multiply, as a result of which the surface of the leaf first turns white, and then turns black;
- as a result of virus diseases of plants, carried by whiteflies, leaves and stems can deform, shoots can stop growing.
Thus, an insect can damage, so to speak, in a complex: it feeds on the juice of plants, the excess of which is allocated in the form of "honey dew", which is a favorable environment for the development of the fungus. In addition, the weakened plant is susceptible to various diseases, which are also provoked by the whitefly and if it does not take the necessary control measures, it can end badly for the crop and the plant as a whole.
How to get rid of the whitefly?
With the defeat of vegetables and other greenhouse plants, the whitefly is most often used by tested measures of struggle in the greenhouse, namely spraying with insecticides. To do this, use drugs actelik, Verticillin G, Confidor, Mospilan, Pegasus, Fufanon, Phosbocide. Dilution and treatment is performed according to the instructions. In this case, it is strictly recommended not to exceed the allowable number of sprayings.
Fight against white flies folk methods
The simplest way, which can give a noticeable result - the transfer of the plant to a room with a lower temperature, these pests do not tolerate hypothermia. However, before using this method, you should find out whether this will affect the plant itself.
Popular among truck farmers enjoy glue traps. To do this, take a piece of plywood, paint it in a bright yellow color and spread something gluey - rosin, castor oil , honey. Whiteflies, attracted by the brightness of the surface, sit on it and stick. Periodically, the veneers need to be washed and smeared again. You can use ready-made traps or take a tape for flies.
- infusion yarrow - 80 grams of leaves per liter of water, insist a day. Plants with large leaves can be wiped with a cotton swab dipped in infusion. Plants with small leaves are sprayed;
- soap solution is made strong, in a ratio of 1 part of crushed soap to 6 parts of water;
- garlic infusion - a tablespoon of chopped garlic pour a liter of water and insist a day.