How to deal with whitefly in a greenhouse

One of the most dangerous garden pests is the whitefly. The whitefly is a small insect that grows only 2.5 mm in length. But it multiplies very quickly, and is easily capable of destroying all plants in the area, but naturally it absorbs only cultivated seedlings, it does not touch the weeds. Basically, the whitefly appears in a greenhouse, in a greenhouse. And all because this insect is thermophilic, and the higher the air temperature, the more likely this pest will appear. That is why the whitefly appears on the street much less often than in the greenhouse.

Whitefly in a greenhouse: what is the danger of this pest

greenhouse whitefly

The greenhouse, or as it is also called the greenhouse whitefly, is an insect from the Alerodid family. This insect came to us from South America. This malicious moth can easily destroy all your plantings.

Whiteflies are especially fond of greenhouses and greenhouses, where the climate is always warm and humid. In one season, this insect is capable of giving 15 generations. But this is only in good weather. When the temperature drops to 15 degrees, these pests begin to reproduce worse.

Therefore, they experience the cold in the ground, where they expect warmth. But at a sufficiently warm temperature, the whitefly can easily live and actively reproduce even all year round.

The whitefly in the greenhouse is very dangerous, because it reproduces quickly and can easily fill the entire space in a short time. By itself, this insect is very small in size with white wings and a yellow body.

The whitefly in the greenhouse lays pale yellow larvae, flat with large red eyes. The larva is only 0.8 mm long. An adult lays these larvae on leaves, more precisely on the underside of the leaf.

These larvae, and the adults themselves, feed on plant sap. And by leaving waste products on the leaves, whiteflies contribute to the development of the fungus. After the leaves are damaged by insects or the same fungus, the leaves of the plant simply turn black and begin to curl.

And after twisting, they begin to dry out, which naturally affects the harvest. Tomatoes suffer the most from this insect, and cucumbers, lettuce, celery and many other plants suffer to a lesser extent.

All about the whitefly

greenhouse whitefly

The larva laid by the insect becomes an adult pest within 40 days. The warmer the temperature and the higher the air humidity, the faster the larva will develop. An adult whitefly lives for about a month, and during this time it is able to postpone 4 generations of larvae.

The larvae have several stages of development up to the adult, which is called the imago.

— Stage 1... Tramp larva - it hatches 12 days after the imago lays eggs. The size of the strap at this time is only 0.25-0.3 mm. At this time, the tramp begins to crawl over the leaf of the plant in order to find the most convenient place.

- 2nd stage... This is a nymph larva - this stage occurs after 6 days: the larva attaches to the lower part of the leaf. The larva, having attached itself, pierces the leaf and begins to feed on the sap of the plant. But until the next stage of development, the larva is completely motionless.

Outwardly, the larva on the leaf is almost impossible to recognize, since it looks like a very small green scale.And it will not work to poison the whitefly larva during this period of development, because it is covered with a substance resembling wax, and becomes invulnerable to chemicals.

- stage 3... This is a doll. The final stage of development of the larva. This period lasts from 7 to 30 days, depending on the climate in the greenhouse.

- Stage 4. This is already a complete formation from a pupa to an adult.

At all stages of development from eggs to the development of adults, only one plant initially suffers. And when an adult appears, then absolutely all plants begin to suffer.

In order to initially prevent the larvae of this insect from appearing on the bushes, they need to be processed for prevention. Because when the larvae start, they feed on sap and simply deprive the plant of all its vitality.

An imago is able to eat a plant in just a few days, and it simply dies. But besides the fact that the whitefly itself destroys plants, it is also a carrier of viruses and diseases.

And due to the fact that the secreted substance in the process of vital activity causes fungal diseases, the plant also very quickly dies because of this.

It is very difficult to understand that the plants in your greenhouse are infected with whitefly during the larval stage. After all, the larvae are very small and green, and they are located on the lower part of the leaf. It is because of this that these green scales are almost impossible to see.

But the adults of the whitefly are familiar to experienced gardeners. It is very easy to see them. To do this, you just need to touch the plants, and these white midges immediately begin to fly away. This insect is somewhat similar to a moth, only white in color.

One of the main signs that your plant has whitefly larvae is whitish or yellow spots with an uneven outline on the plant's leaf. The plant immediately becomes sluggish in appearance, and after a few days tubercles appear on the leaf.

This means that the second stage of larval development has already begun in the larvae. The leaves at this time are already beginning to darken and curl. And after a short time, they just dry out and fall off.

You can also feel the sticky liquid by running your hand over the leaf of the plant. It clogs the pores of the leaf and prevents the leaf from developing. Due to the fact that the process of photosynthesis is completely absent, the leaves begin to turn yellow.

But when black spots appear on the leaves of plants, this means that the fungus is already actively developing.

If any signs appear on your plants, then you need to fight them immediately. After all, even a day of delay can cost you a whole harvest. If there is even the slightest delay, the insect or fungus will destroy all plants in a few days.

Whitefly in the greenhouse. How to get rid of it using folk methods

How to deal with a whitefly is of interest to many gardeners, especially inexperienced ones. The peculiarities of the stages of development greatly complicate the fight against this insect. Therefore, it is easier to prevent than to try to get rid of later.

That is why it is simply necessary to carry out prevention so that the whitefly simply does not appear in the greenhouse. It is imperative that the greenhouse be treated to prevent the appearance of insects. And the processing must be carried out not only before planting seedlings, but also after harvesting.

For prevention, you need to completely remove all plant residues from the greenhouse, and you also need to remove all the garbage and be sure to burn it all. In the greenhouse itself, it is imperative to carry out the treatment with bleach. It is imperative to process the entire frame.

Moreover, during the autumn processing, the transparent covering of the greenhouse must be removed. And it will be possible to return it to its place only in the spring. If for some reason you cannot completely remove the cover, then at least remove the greenhouse roof.

Non-removable parts must also be treated with bleach. And all the ground in the greenhouse needs to be dug to the depth of the bayonet of the bayonet shovel.

Removing pest eggs and larvae is much easier. mechanically... It is also safer to control this insect. You can remove the larvae from the leaf by wiping each leaf by hand, or, which will be much easier, you can simply wash the plants with the pressure of water from the irrigation hose.

If you decide to wash the plants, then after you knock down adult insects with pressure, you still need to wipe each leaf on both sides with soapy water.

If the water pressure is not enough, then experienced gardeners went to the tricks, because you can create a sufficient water pressure using an ordinary vacuum cleaner. But this method has a drawback. By itself, this process is quite laborious and does not give a 100% guaranteed result.

Also, the mechanical removal of this pest includes the installation of special traps. Outwardly, these traps are bright plates covered with glue on both sides. These traps can not only be bought, but also made by yourself.

To do this, you need to take a solid base like hardboard or thick cardboard. You need to paint it with bright paint, because bright colors attract insects best of all. And on top of the painted plates you need to apply some kind of sticky substance.

These plates need to be spread throughout the greenhouse, they will attract insects with their bright color, and the adults, in turn, will fly off and stick to them. The plates do not need to be changed until the insects cover it completely.

To prepare an adhesive base yourself, you need to: take rosin and heat it in a water bath. Take castor oil, petroleum jelly and honey in equal amounts. Stir this mixture well and let it cool slightly.

After that, the resulting solution must be applied to the plate on both sides and the traps must be hung at different levels in the greenhouse. If you have chosen a sufficiently solid base for the trap in the form of plywood, plexiglass or something similar, then the trap will be reusable.

To do this, simply remove the insects along with the adhesive base, and then simply reapply this glue.

An alternative way to get rid of whitefly without the use of chemicals is greenhouse launch ladybirds or lacewings. These insects are excellent at fighting whitefly larvae.

Such a beautiful and cute creature like a ladybug is actually a predator. And she is the main enemy of many pests. The lacewing pest fights even better than the ladybug.

For such disposal of insects, as well as for prophylaxis in 10 days, you need to put several bags with encarsia in the greenhouse. This parasite can easily detect the whitefly and its larvae.

The parasite will lay its eggs in the larvae of the pest. And in a few days they will simply die, and the adults will simply be destroyed.

Also for tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, such a parasite as the predatory bug macrolophus is perfect for fighting whitefly. The female of this bug can live a little more than a month, but during this time she easily copes with 2.5 thousand whitefly larvae.

You can also use it in the fight against whiteflies. biological assistants... These can be certain plants or herbal tinctures.

For example, tansy is often planted in the greenhouse for this. And for the infusion, you need to take the necessary herbs in a certain amount.

Recipes:

• 100 grams of crushed yarrow, which is poured with 1 liter of warm water and infused for two days.
• 40 grams of dandelion root and 40 grams of its leaves, they need to be poured with 1 liter of warm water and infused for three days.
• 1 head of chopped garlic is poured into 0.5 liters of warm water. Insist for a week. Then you need to dilute 1 teaspoon of the infusion in a liter of warm water.

The prepared infusions are used to spray plants in the greenhouse, repeating the procedure every two weeks. With these infusions, you can overcome both the whitefly and the fungus that appears because of it.

You can also use the drug "Verticillin". This drug is very effective at all stages of whitefly development.

How to deal with whitefly in a greenhouse using chemicals

Of course, killing insects with chemicals is not the best option. But if the plants are severely affected by the pest, then it is better to use it. In order to prevent the poison of the drug from getting on the plants, it is best to cover the seedlings with foil before processing the greenhouse.

The drugs used to destroy the whitefly must be constantly changed, since the insect is able to acquire immunity to them. That is why it makes no sense to use the same poison, the pest quickly gets used to it, and the treatment of the greenhouse will not give any effect.

But it is not recommended to use strong poisons, it is undesirable for the future harvest. Because plants can absorb chemicals and toxins, which will then be absorbed into the fruits of the plants.

But if, nevertheless, you chose a sufficiently strong chemical for processing plants, then the fruits in the future, before eating, must be carefully treated with very hot water or steam. Otherwise, it is simply impossible to wash off the poison from them, and this is fraught with poisoning.

For the processing of the greenhouse, such preparations are used as: Aktara - this preparation can be sprayed on plants or water the ground several times. But it is necessary to direct the solution strictly according to the instructions, in which the ratio of the drug and water is written.

This drug protects plants from insects for almost a month, if you spray the plants. And if you bring it into the ground, then the protection is extended by two months. Already existing whiteflies die the very next day.

Whitefly remedy in the greenhouse. Drug names with full descriptions

Whitefly in a greenhouse can be hatched or partially hatched using the following preparations:

Aktelik - plants are sprayed with this drug only once, and this must be done no later than a month before harvesting. The drug enters the plant tissue and causes paralysis of the larvae for about 12 days. During this period, they simply die.

Inta-vir - this drug can be used no more than 3 times per season. For spraying, you need to dilute 2 tablets of the drug in 10 liters of warm water. Inta-vir copes well with both larvae and adult insects.

And its main advantage is that it is completely harmless to plants.

Monsoon - suitable for one-time processing of plants upon detection of an insect. It gives complete protection from both larvae and adult insects for a period of 20 days.

Among insecticides, there are also hormonal preparations that have effects on the larvae, but for adult insects it is completely useless. But when it enters the body of an adult, the drug seems to sterilize the adult and it can no longer lay eggs.

The hormonal drug is more popular with gardeners. "Admiral"... To achieve the goal, it is enough to process the greenhouse with this preparation only two times.

To fight this pest in a greenhouse, a lot of strength and knowledge is required from the gardener. In order for your crop to remain intact and safe, you need to be very careful about the plants planted in the greenhouse. If something is wrong with your plant, then you will immediately understand it.

Also, for prevention, gardeners recommend occasionally fumigating the greenhouse with sulfur smoke bombs. After such treatment, the problem of insect pests will disappear by itself.

It is best to carry out this treatment once a month, since it is completely safe for plants. And the problem with insects will be solved immediately.