home · electrical safety · You can spray extravaganza tomatoes against whiteflies. How to get rid of whiteflies on tomatoes in a greenhouse. Biological methods for eliminating moths

You can spray extravaganza tomatoes against whiteflies. How to get rid of whiteflies on tomatoes in a greenhouse. Biological methods for eliminating moths


Identification and characteristics of the pest

Methods of disposal

If whiteflies appear on tomato bushes or adjacent plants in a greenhouse, you should immediately use the following means and methods of protection:


Preventive actions

Fighting greenhouse whiteflies usually takes a lot of time, and the use of strong chemicals can cause significant harm to cultivated vegetable or flower crops. It is for these reasons that it is advisable to strengthen preventive measures and prevent the appearance of pests in the greenhouse structure.

It should be remembered that the whitefly does not tolerate temperatures below fifteen degrees, which makes it possible to use regular ventilation of the greenhouse.

In addition, special attention should be paid to the careful processing of all metal parts of the greenhouse structure, as well as the destruction of plant debris. The greenhouse soil must be dug up, and the compost must be removed from the greenhouse for the winter, since this particular substrate is an ideal place for the pest to overwinter.


  • To kill whiteflies, it is recommended to choose dry and windless weather, and also close all windows and doors in the greenhouse structure.
  • After spraying, the tomato bushes should be shaded using a special one, which will avoid the formation of burns on the plant.
  • Chemical preparations should be changed periodically, since insect pests very quickly develop immunity to the same product, and the drug loses its effectiveness.
  • It is not advisable to use aggressive types of chemicals in greenhouse conditions, which quickly accumulate in the greenhouse soil and are difficult to remove from it.

Protection against whiteflies with chemicals (video)

This small butterfly can cause serious damage to tomatoes grown in a greenhouse.

A whitefly is a small moth that looks like a moth.

  • The length reaches 3 mm.
  • The wings and body are painted whitish, white pollen is “scattered” on the surface, hence the name.
  • The adult and its larvae feed on plant sap, which very soon leads to the death of the plant.
  • First, the leaves lose color - they become white, then gradually the whole plant dries out and the bush dies.

Pest invasion

Typically, a whitefly invasion can be expected in the summer, when the temperature is at least twenty degrees, but there is frequent rain.

Whiteflies appear when sufficiently high temperatures are combined with high humidity.

The midge feels comfortable in the so-called greenhouse state – when at high temperatures there is a fairly high level of humidity. If the temperature is below ten degrees, the adult moth dies, but the eggs remain viable and can comfortably overwinter in the hibernation stage.

Most suitable conditions regardless of the season - greenhouses, greenhouses, hotbeds.

Provoking factors

Densified plantings impair ventilation, increase humidity and ultimately create optimal conditions for the development of whiteflies.

The main provocateur is the gardener, that is, those conditions that, through ignorance or mistake, are created by a person.

Provoking moments:

  • planting density;
  • lack of ventilation;
  • spraying at high humidity;
  • improper use of fertilizers;
  • lack of biostimulants.

Many gardeners believe that a greenhouse protects the crop from all harm, especially from insects, so they often plant seedlings too close to each other. However, this opinion is fundamentally wrong, since the whitefly prefers closed spaces.

How to save a greenhouse from whiteflies

The greenhouse must certainly have properly equipped ventilation.

The best way to regulate the humidity level in a greenhouse is to use an automatic window opener.

Combination of two factors – the lack of ventilation and the density of plantings provoke not only the appearance of insects, but also the occurrence of other diseases, since the bushes do not receive fresh air, a greenhouse effect occurs. If there are prolonged rains outside and the humidity is high, it means that the humidity inside the structure also increases, thus the plant receives a sufficient amount of moisture, and there is no need to additionally spray the bushes.

It is advisable to make the window in the greenhouse large in order to be able to make precise adjustments.

On one leaf you can immediately see both butterflies and whitefly larvae.

Among other things, symptoms of damage will be visible on the plant:

  • yellowness on the leaves;
  • drying of leaf plates;
  • the presence of larvae on the lower surface;
  • the presence of a sticky coating;
  • spots.

Primary signs appear on the leaves

The leaf blades begin to turn yellow, gradually curl, dry out, and crumble. If you lift a leaf or thick stem, you can see many translucent larvae.

Females lay eggs, from which larvae appear a week later, and nymphs appear after another 14 days.


Fighting methods

The whitefly feeds on the sap from the plant, causing the leaves to dry out.

There are mechanical, biological, chemical methods. Traditional methods are often used.

Mechanical methods

  1. Take one part soap and six parts water and prepare a soap solution.
  2. A cloth is moistened in this solution and all parts of the culture are washed.

A solution of ordinary soap is the most affordable means of combating whiteflies.

Making traps

A simple trap made of yellow paper coated with adhesive.

Mechanical assistance also consists of preparing traps.

It is believed that adult butterflies flock to yellow, so many farmers use this fact to catch pests.

  1. To do this, plywood, cardboard or other strong material is painted yellow.
  2. Honey, castor oil or Vaseline are applied to the surface of the trap.
  3. Traps are attached next to the greenhouse.

You can purchase ready-made structures in gardening stores.

Whitefly Night Trap

To make a trap you will need:

  • plastic box;
  • foil;
  • water tray;
  • cartridge;
  • orange incandescent lamp;
  • cord.

The night trap is made from available material.

The work process is very simple and clear from the photo:

We turn on the light bulb at night, and in the morning we see the result:

Biological methods

Biological methods of controlling whiteflies involve attracting insects - enemies of moths, which pose no danger to either tomatoes or people.

Traditional methods

Experienced gardeners are confident that garlic infusion repels whiteflies.

Garlic is used as a folk remedy.

  1. One hundred and fifty grams of chopped garlic per liter of water, infused for a week.
  2. The crop is sprayed with garlic liquid at intervals of four or five days until the pest is completely destroyed.

But they also cook infusion of yarrow . Grind the herb, measure out one hundred grams, pour boiling water (1 l), leave for 24 hours. Tomatoes are sprayed several times.

Allowed to use dandelion infusion . One hundred grams of herb is steamed with one liter of boiling water and left for a day.

It is necessary to separately indicate that folk remedies are effective in the initial stage of infection, that is, while there is not much of the pest, otherwise the effect will be dubious.

Chemicals

Chemicals are mainly used in the form of purchased ready-made complexes.

Chemical methods of control are the most effective.

There is an opinion that it can be used ordinary dichlorvos , however, this remedy is too toxic primarily for the fruits, harms a person .

  • Use Verticillin , which is dissolved in one liter of liquid, is treated every ten days until the whitefly completely disappears.
  • Recommended drug Pegasus– process twice with an interval of twelve days.
  • Allowed to use Confidora– long-acting product, spray once.
  • Aktellik Available in ampoules that are diluted in water. The procedure is carried out twice.
  • Recommended to use tobacco dust .

Important: if the farmer uses chemicals, the dosage indicated on the package must be strictly followed. Among other things, the necessary interval for neutralization after spraying should be maintained.

Prevention

Preventive actions include purchasing healthy planting material.

  1. Every year, the greenhouse is disinfected using a solution of copper sulfate or potassium permanganate.
  2. The earth is dug up, weeds and plant debris are removed.
  3. Mandatory measure – complete ventilation of the structure .
  4. If ventilation has not been installed inside, after the end of the season, while the room is empty, be sure to provide the opportunity for ventilation.

Whitefly is a pest that often appears on tomatoes in a greenhouse; it attacks bushes growing in open ground much less often. The natural habitat of the insect is subtropical and tropical zones, so the conditions of the greenhouse, where it is not always possible to maintain the correct temperature and humidity, often favor the rapid proliferation of pests.

Characteristics of the pest

An adult insect is a tiny white moth, whose body is no more than 2 mm in length and 0.3-0.7 mm in width, covered with a powdery coating. Insects prefer to hide on the back of the lower leaves of the bush. There they lay eggs, indistinguishable to the naked eye - 0.2-0.3 mm in length.

Larvae emerge from the eggs - the most harmful phase of the pest for plants. The larvae bite through the surface of the leaf and begin to drink the juice, secreting a sticky honeydew. Having attached itself to one place, the insect will remain there until it turns into a pupa, wrapped in a waxy covering, from which an adult will eventually emerge.

Important! At this stage, intestinal insecticides are not effective against the pest, since the pupa does not need nutrition. This makes repeated treatments of plants necessary.

Only adult individuals go into the ground for the winter, but pupae can also survive the winter on the remains of plants that were not harvested in the fall.

Symptoms of the lesion

Indirect signs of whitefly damage to tomatoes are the appearance of yellow, white or black spots on the leaves and the formation of a sticky coating, curling of the leaf blade with the edges up, and wilting.

If you shake the bush on which the whitefly has settled, small white midges - adult individuals - will fly into the air. The larvae are too small to detect, but when they accumulate in large numbers, the underside of the leaf appears covered with a coarse gray dust.

Whitefly Damage

In addition to consuming plant sap, the whitefly larva harms tomatoes by secreting a large amount of honeydew - a sticky, sugar-containing substance that becomes a good environment for the development of fungi. The fruits on tomato bushes affected by the pest ripen slowly, and white veins form in their pulp.

Under favorable conditions, the pest quickly spreads throughout the planting. During one growing season, on average, 3 generations of moths are hatched; in year-round greenhouses, more than 15 generations can be hatched in a year.

Attention! Insects attack not only tomatoes; they can also spread to other crops. Most often, the “greenhouse whitefly”, which is dangerous for vegetable and ornamental plants, and the “tobacco whitefly,” which attacks vegetable, fruit, melon and ornamental crops, appear in the greenhouse.

Pest control methods

The choice of method for exterminating the whitefly population depends on its abundance. If a pest is detected in the early stages of damage, mechanical removal of insects in combination with treating the bushes with folk remedies will be sufficient. If the damage to the planting is severe, treatment with chemicals will be required. In any case, the fight against whitewing cannot be postponed - the insect is fertile.

Mechanical methods

To remove larvae and eggs from leaves, spray the bushes with water from a hose. After this, the soil under the plant must be loosened to prevent the larvae from getting out of the soil. A more reliable, but also more painstaking method would be to wipe the leaves with a soap solution using a cotton swab; this will also remove honeydew from the plants. Severely affected leaves should be cut off and burned.

You can reduce the number of adults in the greenhouse using traps. Use store-bought adhesive tape for flies or make a trap yourself from pieces of cardboard, lubricating them with a viscous substance (vegetable oils or petroleum jelly). To increase the attractiveness of the baits, you need to make them yellow or white (the whitefly reacts to these colors), and also add a drop of honey for scent.

At night, you can light a lamp and leave it in the greenhouse. Like other moths and midges, adult whiteflies fly into the light, get burned and die.

Interesting! Adults become lethargic and inactive in cool temperatures. Taking advantage of this feature, some gardeners manage to collect them with a vacuum cleaner in the morning, when the air temperature drops to a daily minimum. But you need to clean the bushes carefully so as not to damage the leaves. For such “cleaning” you should use disposable bags and burn them immediately after, before the insects get out.

Chemical treatment

If the planting is severely damaged, the use of chemicals may be the only way to save the crop. Do not forget about the high toxicity of these products, due to which during some periods of plant development the treatment is detrimental to the crop. The drugs must be used in strict accordance with the instructions.

For spraying against whiteflies, the most effective means are:


These drugs are of contact or enteric contact action, which makes them effective against adults and larvae. The whitefly is capable of developing immunity to the active ingredients of the drugs, so if the fight against the pest has been going on for more than a year, you need to change the means.

The use of chemical insecticides in greenhouses is undesirable. It is highly unlikely that it will be possible to exterminate the population of whiteflies and many other pests in one season. In open ground, in place of affected tomatoes, crops that repel whiteflies are planted - onions or garlic, but in a greenhouse, where space is limited, and sometimes only one type of plant grows, it is difficult to apply crop rotation. As a result of repeated chemical treatments, the soil becomes toxic; hazardous substances penetrate through the roots of plants into the fruits, even if the terms of application of the drugs are observed. In view of this, for processing greenhouse tomatoes it is better to give preference to biological products or folk remedies.

Biological method

There are two types of biological effects on whiteflies:

Biological methods should be used in conjunction with adult traps.

Folk remedies

The greatest effect can be achieved if you wipe the tomato leaves with these products using a cotton swab, at the same time erasing the larvae, and then spray the entire bush, treating the leaves on both sides. After the procedure, you need to loosen the soil under the tomatoes in order to sprinkle the fallen larvae with soil.

The most effective remedies for whiteflies:

Alcohol

2 tablespoons of a 96% technical alcohol solution are diluted in a liter of water.

Healthy! Alcohol affects whiteflies in any phase - it is capable of dissolving the protective covers of eggs and pupae.

Garlic

Crush 200 grams of garlic heads and add a liter of water. Infuse for 5 days under a closed lid. Add a spoonful of this tincture to 1 liter of water for spraying. Treatment is required every 3-4 days until the pest is defeated.

Soap solution

Laundry soap is grated and dissolved in water in a ratio of 1:6.

Yarrow

90-110 grams of fresh yarrow leaves are poured with a liter of boiling water, pre-cut. Leave for 2 days.

Tobacco infusion

Crushed, dried tobacco leaves are poured with a liter of boiling water and left for 5 days. Spray the planting every 3 days.

Dandelion

100 grams of dandelion leaves and rhizomes (in a 1:1 ratio) should be poured with 1 liter of water and left for 3-4 days. This treatment is carried out every 2 weeks.

A gentle, but very productive way to exterminate whiteflies from the point of view of the ecological cleanliness of the crop, is to fumigate tomatoes in a greenhouse with tobacco sticks (for example, “Hephaestus” or “Vulcan”). But you should not use sulfur for these purposes. The procedure can be performed once every 10 days.

Whitefly prevention

Also, if possible, it is necessary to reduce the favorable conditions for whiteflies in the greenhouse:

  1. Regular ventilation helps control humidity; in addition, the insect prefers places with poor air circulation.
  2. For the same reason, tomato plantings should not be made too dense. In addition, crowding weakens plants, making them more vulnerable.
  3. It is worth growing tomatoes at the minimum permissible temperatures - the activity of the pest decreases when it is cool.
  4. The compost pit should be placed as far away from the greenhouse as possible. Adults often overwinter in compost.
  5. You should take care of mosquito nets on the windows and entrances of the greenhouse to prevent adult insects from entering from the outside.

Advice! Planting dill, celery, parsley next to the beds or between rows of tomatoes helps against whiteflies. These plants are inhabited by predatory insects that feed on the pest.

Autumn cleaning of the greenhouse

Remains of tops, fruits, and weeds should be removed from the beds in the fall and burned - larvae may remain on them. The greenhouse must be disinfected after harvesting. It is advisable to disassemble the structure in order to be able to treat all hard-to-reach places, since the size of the insect is very small. The frame should be painted.

For disinfection, insecticidal preparations are used that destroy larvae and adult insects. To destroy eggs, you need to use substances that can corrode their protective layer. These include drugs based on cypermethrin, as well as alcohol diluted with water in a 1:1 ratio.

The soil should also be treated or replaced. Digging is done to a depth of 10-15 cm with the addition of lime or wood ash. For 1m2 of beds you need 100-200 grams of lime or 500-750 grams of ash.

Fumigation is effective against larvae and adult whiteflies, including those hiding in the ground. Now that there are no plants in the greenhouse, you can use not only tobacco, but also more effective sulfur bombs. You will need 50-80 grams of sulfur per cubic meter of space. Fumigation is carried out in a closed greenhouse for 3-4 hours. The greenhouse is left for 2 days, after which it is well ventilated and after 15 hours the whole procedure is repeated again. It is advisable to carry out fumigation after another 10 days in case new larvae emerge from the eggs. For greater reliability, repeat in the spring 2-3 weeks before planting the seedlings.

The greenhouse can be frozen if winter temperatures in the region are quite low - at least -15 °C, and preferably -20 °C. If the greenhouse is removed for the winter or the roof is removed, it is necessary to clear the planting site of snow during frosts. A layer of snow increases the chances of survival of insects remaining in the ground.

It is possible to finally remove the whitefly from the greenhouse only through the systematic and comprehensive application of measures against it. Even if the insect was destroyed last season, it is recommended to carry out spring disinfection of the greenhouse and preventive treatment of the planting with biological agents, as well as regular inspections of the lower leaves of the bushes.

Lately, summer residents are increasingly asking the question: how to preserve a rich harvest without pests? To grow healthy vegetables, you need not only to care for them daily, but also to fight garden pests.

One of these harmful insects is whitefly. This article will tell you how to get rid of it, which provides methods for combating whiteflies, as well as preventive measures that can help you keep your crop safe and sound.

is a tiny light yellow insect with large white wings, similar to a moth, ranging in size from 1 to 3 mm. These garden pests are native to the tropics, and to combat them, you first need to know how much damage whiteflies can cause.

So, whitefly can cause the following damage to plants:

  1. The insect lays eggs on the underside of a plant leaf. The larvae, hatched from the eggs, stick to the leaf and begin to drink the juice of the plant, causing it to wither and die over time.
  2. Reproduction. Since the pest multiplies quickly, there may be several generations of this insect on one leaf. They secrete a sticky mass in large quantities, which provides a feeding environment for fungi.
  3. Carries viral infections.

Sources of whitefly infection:

  • plant residues;
  • contaminated soil;
  • seedlings purchased from a greenhouse.

Signs of damage to tomatoes

Signs of whitefly damage to tomatoes:

  • Wilting of the plant on which the whitefly has settled;
  • Rolling the leaves of the seedlings;
  • The appearance of white dots;
  • Formation of yellow spots on the leaf blade;
  • Drying;
  • The appearance of necrosis on the fruits;
  • Stopping shoot growth.

How to get rid of whiteflies in a greenhouse?

This annoying moth has adapted to survive in warm climates with high humidity (for example, greenhouses, greenhouses, conservatories).


 To get rid of the pest, you need to follow certain steps:

  1. it is necessary to plant the plants so that they are not too close to each other;
  2. install ventilation in the greenhouse so that the plants receive optimal temperature conditions and can be ventilated.
  3. use drugs that improve plant health;
  4. do not get rid of ladybugs and lacewings - they are enemies of the whitefly.

Exist biological methods for controlling whiteflies in the greenhouse. They involve the use of natural enemies of this pest.

Treatment of tomato seedlings should be carried out in two cases:

  1. in connection with the prevention of small insects;
  2. in connection with the treatment of an already progressing disease.

When growing tomatoes in a greenhouse, the main thing is not to overdo it with watering and high humidity. It is necessary to frequently loosen the soil and fertilize it, while experienced gardeners advise not to use manure as fertilizer. It is best to put a little chicken manure in each hole before planting so that the tomato root system remains resistant to various types of disease.

A greenhouse for growing tomatoes is needed if the gardener wants to get ripe fruits as quickly as possible. And in order for the soil to promote plant growth, it must not only be weeded, but also dried, weeded, and fertilized.

Means of struggle

Means to combat whitefly:

  1. To catch white moths, it is recommended to use glue-based traps, which you can make yourself from pieces of plywood, after lubricating them with Vaseline or rosin with honey. Be sure to paint your traps yellow, as whiteflies are attracted to it. To set the trap correctly, you need to place the twine with the trap near the top of the plant. Then shake all the plants several times so that the insects fly to the trap and stick there. Then you should get rid of the used bait and make a new one. We discussed earlier.
  2. Washing leaves by hand. To begin with, it is recommended to collect whiteflies from the leaves yourself. Then spray the seedlings with soapy water and rinse with water. This will rid the leaves of sticky coating and wash away the fungus.
  3. Use of smoke bombs. Experienced experts advise first collecting the tops and then disinfecting the soil. It is best to set it on fire at night, and then get rid of the top soil, in which the whitefly larvae will be located.
  4. Fighting with garden plants. To prepare a garlic infusion, you need 100-150 grams of garlic per 1 liter of water. Keep this tincture for 5 days in a tightly closed container. After this, the plants should be sprayed.
  5. Use of pesticides. This is a last resort method of pest control, and is recommended only in cases where nothing else helps. You should read the instructions for use in advance to take into account which of them are used once and which require a course of procedures.

Fumigation

Any summer resident asks the question: how to treat a greenhouse against pests? One of the means to combat whiteflies is to fumigate the greenhouse. For prevention, fumigation should be carried out a couple of times per season.

There are three types of drugs:

  1. Smoke bomb. Experts advise doing the treatment in the spring. Greenhouses are also treated against whiteflies in early autumn, and all seedlings should be taken out into the air. During fumigation, plants should be gradually introduced into the greenhouse, treated with a suitable insecticide. Those gardeners who do not want to expose their plants to the air use a smoke bomb with a special preparation. As a result, not only the whiteflies will die, but also their pupae and larvae.
  2. Sulfur candle. A sulfur candle spreads sulfur, which negatively affects all living things. Therefore, you should first read the instructions for use before using this pest control method. After using the candle for two days, you should thoroughly ventilate the greenhouse.
  3. Tobacco checker. A tobacco bomb, like a smoke bomb, can be used inside a greenhouse without harming plants. Its smoke does not affect the seedlings. However, after using the checker, it is advisable to dig up all the soil to get rid of extinct whitefly larvae.

Chemical treatment

The next method of controlling whitefly is use of chemicals. They are used in cases where other means have not been effective.

Today, gardening stores offer a huge selection of products to combat garden pests. There are many well-known brands and each one has instructions for use.


 Effective drugs:

  1. "Verticillin J". Affected plants should be treated with two sprays at intervals of one week to 10 days.
  2. "Confidor". Produced by single spraying of seedlings. The drug is diluted in 1 liter of water.
  3. "Aktellik". The product is sold in ampoules. Diluted in 1 liter of water. Applies only when insects appear.
  4. "Pegasus". It is used according to the same principle as Verticillin G.
  5. "Rovikurt". Dilute 10 grams of the chemical per 10 liters of water. Used in case of mass accumulation of whiteflies.
  6. "Fufanon". After applying this insecticide, after 2 hours the insects cease to exist. Valid for one month.

Systemic insecticides

Among the wide variety of drugs, the following can be distinguished:

  1. "Biotlin" used to combat greenhouse whiteflies and aphids. Dilute 5 ml per 10 liters of water. Plants need to be sprayed during the growing season. Suitable for both tomatoes and cucumbers.
  2. "Warrant" also used during the growing season. Dilute 0.5 ml per 1.5 liters of water.
  3. "Aktara" Suitable for tomato in protected soil. It is introduced under the root of seedlings during drip irrigation. Read the full story here.
  4. "Imidor" sprayed during the growing season at a 0.05% concentration.
  5. "Iskra M" used against whiteflies, mites, thrips and nightshade leaf miner. 10 ml of the drug is diluted in 10 liters of water. Spray during the growing season.

Contact insecticides


 You can combine other means of controlling garden pests, for example:

  • "Clipper";
  • "Kalash";
  • "Commander" (maxi);
  • "Snake"
  • "Confidelin";
  • "Novaction".

Rules for chemical processing

Folk remedies

You can get rid of whiteflies on tomatoes not only by chemical and biological means. For example, avid gardeners prefer traditional methods of dealing with annoying insects.

Folk remedies against whitefly:

  1. Garlic tincture aged for 7 days and is an effective means of combating harmful moths.
  2. Herbal infusion or dandelion. Uses 40-50 grams of dandelion roots and leaves, crushed and filled with one liter of water. After 2 days, you need to strain the infusion and spray it on the leaves and stems of the tomatoes.
  3. Yarrow. First you need to cut 80 grams of leaves of this plant, and then fill it with a liter of water. After a couple of days, the solution must be filtered and sprayed on the seedlings.
  4. Soap solution. To use, you need to dissolve one piece of grated laundry soap in hot water per 6 liters of water. Then take a sponge and try to evenly apply the solution to the leaves and stems of plants affected by insects. To be on the safe side, you should also sprinkle the soil next to the diseased seedlings.

Vegetable crops must be treated with any of these solutions. Experts say that these measures must be carried out 2 times a month. Everything will depend on the state of the problem and how advanced the situation with the vegetable disease is.

Many people try to use products in the fight against whiteflies that help in the fight against other insects, for example, bedbugs, ticks or lice. Those who decide to get rid of whiteflies using lice repellents will not be able to do this, since only specialized means of combating the annoying insect are used. If folk remedies fail, summer residents use the chemicals and insecticides listed above.

Preventive actions

To avoid a repeat problem in the future, it is recommended:

  1. In the fall, after harvesting, dig up the soil in the greenhouse, remove weeds and excess tops.
  2. A compost heap can become a wintering habitat for whiteflies, so you should not place it on a dug-up area.
  3. Summer residents also recommend the use of drugs that strengthen the root system of plants.
  4. If the seedlings are ready to endure the winter, then it is best to introduce pests into the greenhouse. A whitefly in a winter greenhouse will not be able to survive the cold season and breed offspring, since its native warm climate will be absent.
  5. Try to inspect the leaves more often for the presence of larvae, and also do not forget to immediately combat this harmful insect.

Conclusion

There are many ways and methods to combat whiteflies. Every summer resident or farmer can always cope with a garden pest. It is only important to remember that it is better to prevent a problem than to deal with it later throughout the summer season.

Whitefly is quite common on garden crops and causes enormous damage to the crop. This is a type of midge that resembles a tiny white moth. Its size is only 1-2 mm in length, and its wings are covered with a white coating that resembles powder. These insects reproduce rapidly; one female can lay up to 250 eggs on tomatoes. The larvae have the appearance of yellowish-transparent scales. They attach to the back side of the leaves of the plant and absorb their juices, sucking out all the useful substances along with them, as a result, over time the leaves become colorless or darken, wither and fall off, and in the future the plant may die.

There are two types of these pests: greenhouse and indoor. It lives mainly in warm climates, prefers to live in vegetable greenhouses and attacks peppers, cucumbers, watermelons, melons, lettuce, celery and some flowers. In total, its diet includes up to 300 plant species. But her favorite delicacy is tomatoes. If you find the activity of these pests in your greenhouse, immediately begin to take measures to destroy them, which is why it is so important to know about tomatoes in the greenhouse. Otherwise, the pests will destroy the tomatoes, move to the bushes of other crops and can cause irreparable damage.

Important! When the whitefly sucks the sap from plants, the excess comes out and remains on the leaves in shiny sticky streams. This is a favorable environment for the occurrence of fungal infections. Adult insects are also carriers of viruses.

Life cycle of a whitefly

It is important to know how these pests reproduce and develop in order to competently and effectively deal with them. Often, many summer residents make every effort to destroy adult insects when many larvae have already been laid. Let's take a closer look at this insect. Whiteflies are very similar in appearance to aphids, only, unlike aphids, they are white. She lives in groups on the underside of plant leaves, where she lays her eggs.

The larvae hatch quickly and begin to look for food on their own. This is precisely the moment that should not be missed in the fight against this pest. As soon as the larvae pupate, no remedy can take them, since their body is enveloped in a dense waxy coating. That is, the cocoon of this insect is practically impenetrable. And if young individuals emerge from the pupae, the harvest will be over, because the bodies of young whiteflies are also covered with wax, so it is very difficult to exterminate them, and the cycle will repeat.

Signs of a pest infestation

Greenhouses, greenhouses and greenhouses are ideal places for whiteflies to breed and live. She prefers warm climates and high humidity. It is transmitted mainly through infected plants and with planting material. Before you start fighting whiteflies in a greenhouse on tomatoes, it is important to make sure that this is the insect that is attacking your crop. The presence of whiteflies is indicated by the following characteristic signs:

  • a white midge that looks like a small moth and flies over the tomato plantings;
  • if you shake the bush of the plant a little, a white cloud of insects will appear;
  • translucent and barely noticeable scales are glued to the bottom of the leaf;
  • sticky and shiny coating on the leaves of vegetable crops;
  • many dark spots on plants resulting from infection with sooty fungus, which is a frequent companion of whiteflies;
  • infected plants are severely retarded in development and growth;
  • white dots on the leaves of plants, later the leaves fade, turn yellow and curl;
  • necrosis develops on the fruits, the flesh becomes white.

If you see several of the listed signs in your greenhouse, this means that your vegetable crops are infected with dangerous pests. Fighting whitefly on tomatoes is a matter of time and your patience. There are many different ways to fight, the main thing is not to miss the moment.

Important! The most productive time to kill whiteflies is when the butterflies have appeared and the larvae have not yet been found on the tomatoes.

Fighting whitefly in a greenhouse on tomatoes

First you need to eliminate the adult insects that participate in the reproduction process. The following methods are suitable here:

  • Washing leaves. Before this procedure, if there are not very many plants, you can collect whiteflies by hand. Then treat the bushes with soapy water and rinse with water.
  • Kill insects from plants with a stream of water.

The advantages of these two methods are that, in addition to insects, sticky plaque and sooty fungus are removed from crops, and it becomes easier for plants to breathe after water procedures.

Other methods include:

  • Using stickies is a common and effective way to control whiteflies. To make it yourself, you need to take yellow cardboard and grease its surface well with Vaseline. Insects are attracted to the bright color and stick to the trap; when a lot of them stick, you can wipe off the Vaseline and apply a new layer.
  • Heat rosin in a water bath, add castor oil and honey, apply the mixture to yellow or blue cardboard or plywood and spread throughout the greenhouse;
  • Treat tomato bushes with an anti-scab emulsion purchased at a pharmacy. You need to make a solution at the rate of 50 grams of emulsion per liter of water and treat the tomato bushes well;
  • Using yarrow herb can help you save your entire garden. To prepare it, you need to grind 80 grams of grass, pour in a liter of boiling water and leave in a dark place for 24 hours. Then wipe the leaves of infected plants with this solution;
  • Garlic tincture - finely chop 10 grams of garlic and add two liters of water, leave for 24 hours in a dark, cool place, then spray the tomatoes with this solution.
  • Use this trap: take several pieces of brightly colored plastic and coat them with entomological glue. Attach a light to the plastic and hang the traps so that they are level with the tops of the plants; in the bright light and color, many insects will flock and stick.

Using insect predators to control whiteflies

To get rid of whiteflies in a greenhouse on tomatoes, you can introduce insects that feed on midges and their larvae:

Attention! When fighting whiteflies using encarsia pupae, you cannot use chemicals in the greenhouse.

  • Macrolophus bug. Shows high efficiency in the fight against whiteflies and their larvae in greenhouses with tomatoes. Five individuals are enough for 1 sq.m. After two weeks, it is necessary to repeat the placement.
  • Ladybug - quickly eats the whitefly. To attract them to the greenhouse, you can plant the following plants: alyssum, daisies, marigolds, tansy, yarrow.

    • Use of chemicals

    In advanced cases, it is necessary to use radical pest control methods and use chemicals. They need to treat not only infected tomatoes, but also nearby plants. Today, it is possible to buy different drugs in specialized stores: Actellik, Confidor, Pegasus, Verticillin, Fufanon, etc. In the instructions attached to each of them, you can learn about how to work with poison. Treatment must be carried out several times until the insects are completely exterminated. Remember about the toxicity of these drugs and be sure to use personal protective equipment when processing: gloves, mask, protective clothing.

    Advice! When treating with insecticides, add crushed laundry soap or shampoo. The products will stick to the leaves better.

    The appearance of whiteflies on tomatoes is easier to prevent than to eliminate later. To do this, you need to burn the tops in the fall, dig up the soil to raise the larvae to the surface, and in winter they will die from cold temperatures. Remove the covering from the greenhouse or disinfect it, wash the frame with bleach. Control the climate inside the greenhouse and ventilate it systematically. With careful care of your crops, you will definitely be rewarded with healthy bushes and a rich harvest!