Detailed information on Greenhouse White Fly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum)

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JohnnyDuck311

Batavia, NY | May 2016 | Neutral

This is just to say I came in contact with this White Fly Summer of 2015 in Batavia New York
Not fun at all can i ever grow tomato again First Fungus now this UGH

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tn63050

Marysville, WA | August 2012 | Negative

This was my second year dealing with this pest. I do have a small greenhouse and am not sure if they were a carry over from last year. I tried ladybugs and safer soap to no avail. I have also tried the yellow sticky strips. Finally found something that worked for me: Fels-Naptha® soap. I scraped the bar with a knife to get a powder and placed approx 1 teaspoon in a quart spray bottle with water. I sprayed top and bottom of all the leaves. It must be reapplied once a week for about three weeks to get them all. It worked wonders. As an added bonus, the aphids were gone, too!

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DAKOTA31400

Petersburg, ND (Zone 3a) | February 2011 | Neutral

Persistance is the key for vegetables.

First a quick note and then onto controlling white fly.

I won't use any synthetic organic pesticides or fungicides in my garden. Never have and never will.....In 40 years, never had to....for white fly included. Pesticides kill the bugs that prey on the pests too, upsetting the natural order of things leaving your garden defenseless against the bad guys. So, once you kill everything, the bad guys reproduce unchecked by nature. From that point on, you will have no choice but to use pesticides.

My arsenal is simple and safe..

Liquid Soap
Water
Milk
Baking soda
BT (thuricide) This is the only line I tread....it's commercial biological warfare...which by the way, is h... read more

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bugbait

Zachary, LA (Zone 8b) | September 2010 | Negative

UUUUgh!! These darn bugs have invaded my entire yard! After searching the net and visiting several local nurseries for advice I decided to use the cheapest method. Pantene clarifying shampoo was suggested in an article. I was unable to find any after visiting several stores. I did find Suave Clarifying shampoo. A very large bottle cost me $1.49. I mixed 5 teaspoons to my 2 gallon sprayer and sprayed everything in my yard where I did and did not see this pest. Its been two days and I have seen very few. I plan to spray with something new tomorrow. I will not let this bug defeat me!!

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live_at_peace

Charlotte, NC (Zone 8a) | July 2009 | Negative

An important thing to know about this pest is that they sometimes move around through the day.

Last year, I noticed the lilac bush that grows next to our deck was suffering, but when I examined it I found no insects. Some time later, I happened to be out on the deck, at night with a flashlight, and saw that the poor lilac's leaves were covered with a thousand little white flies.

The lilac bush has small narrow leaves that point up. The white flies love it, but I think it doesn't offer the shade/shelter they prefer in the daylight, so they go elsewhere until night.

If your trying to eliminate these nasty little flies I suggest attacking at night when they're all snug in bed. Some plants, such as tomatoes, can be hurt by insecticidal soap at night... read more

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J_R_S

Carrabelle, FL | June 2009 | Negative

I have found one thing that sort of works. Forget all the commecial insecticide sprays that claim on the label to work on white flies. They don't. Not for more than a day or two and you have to poison everything in sight. But you can get relief by thoroughly soaking the tops and bottoms of ALL leaves on the infected plant(s) with a spray of liquid Spinosad D (Fertilome, Bionide and Green Light all make liquid concentrates of Spinosad D and a tablespoon makes a gallon of spray). Spinosad is a realtively safe organic compound that only attacks certain bugs and doesn't harm beneficial insects (although like anything you have to keep it away from water and bees). You can use it on fruits and vegetables up to 3 or 4 days before harvest. A thorough spray of it will make the tiny white creeps com... read more

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Cypsela

Navajo City, NM (Zone 5b) | April 2009 | Negative

I have summer infestations of whiteflies in my greenhouse. They seem to live on the celery the most. If I move the plants outdoors into the breeze, the whiteflies leave the plants. I think if I had a fan by the plants it would discourage the little critters. I tried the yellow cards and trapped a lot of them but could not get a level of control during the summer months. I tried one type of beneficial insects but I think one of the little wasps would be better. The whiteflies generally don't bother the tomatoes, but they attack the peppers.

I think if I got obsessive about controlling them, there is a chance. The problem is that I have the rest of my life distracting me from the War on Whiteflies.

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hazelwood

Fort Wayne, IN | January 2009 | Negative

I also had a bad time with the whitefly last summer, they destroyed my tomato plants. They were on my pepper platnts but did no real damage.

I understand that sopy water and neem oil can be used but no insecticides should be used to avoid damage to beneficial insects.

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edrcook1

Powell, WY (Zone 4b) | June 2008 | Negative

my yellow pear tomatoe leaves look like the are being sucked dry of moisture. I read somewhere that jalapeno water will discourage them but I haven't tried yet.

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dgapwalls

Dahlonega, GA | April 2008 | Negative

We purchased some shrubs and flowering plants recently at a 'garden show', and three or four days later, our sun room was infested with these pests. We have sprayed with 'store purchased' insecticides, but finally moved the plants outside, spraying again. These seem to be the same pests that infest the cotton plants down here in the South, but as a normal consumer, we cannot purchase the strength of insecticide that is used commercially. We'll keep spraying the critters with over the counter stuff, and hope for the best. Just a word of caution when purchasing plants at one of these show type events. You'll never know what you might bring home!

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tzatzu

Santa Maria, CA | March 2008 | Neutral

Last year, 2007, was my first encounter with these awful bugs. The yellow two sided stickies worked very well to control the white flies. The white flies do not appear to have overwintered very well but it's early yet. I've also thrown out all the old potting soil, sterilized all of my pots with hydrogen peroxide, and am replanting with flowers and plants that the white flies appear to avoid.

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konijntje

Seattle, WA (Zone 8a) | March 2008 | Negative

Is there an additional rating about 5 steps beyond merely "negative?" My experience has been very similar to other posters, both in terms of the way these freakishly indestructible bugs appear and in terms of my difficulty in discerning from available formal and informal sources any systematic, effective approach to ridding my life of them. The plants they most devastated here were in various container gardens: two formerly-gorgeous, giant pointsettias, sweet potato vines, zinnas and caladiums. As others have written, they massed around my container gardens in clouds and after unsuccessfully trying a number of the same treatments others have mentioned, I had to destroy the (sickened, sad) plants AND all of the soil as I also read in several reputable sources that they live in it and th... read more

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daylily2006

Golden Valley, AZ (Zone 8b) | October 2007 | Neutral

I was inundated with these horrible little critters this year on my grape vine! I have tried hosing it off, daily, and spraying an insecticide also. Then after neither of these attempts actually did anything I also tried a systemic. Nothing seems to allieviate them though. UGH! They seem to like all the soft leaved plants. I find if I keep sprinkling my other plants, like snail vine, they seem to mostly stay on the grapevine. Hoping to find a better cure for sure!

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lynjack

| June 2007 | Neutral

With regards to the scourge of whitefly I do something to start with and that is to give the plant a shake and spray the B....... with fly spray. This gets them down to smaller ammounts then I spray the plant underneath in particular with household cooking oil (used) mixed with a bit of detergent and water. This seems to have some control but I have to spray every couple of weeks to have a some sort of control. I also am waiting for the magic solution from one or more of the larger seed companies. Good luck Lynjack

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riceke

Snellville, GA (Zone 7b) | November 2006 | Neutral

And I thought I was alone with this critter. I had so many of them on my tomatoe plants that if you disturbed them it was like a cloud of smoke that came off the plants. I tried hosing them off, using Neem, Insecticidal soap and malathion but nothing seemd to last long enough to keep them off longer than a day or two. Yet I had other tomato plants merely 25 feet away that had none on them. I don't know the life cycle of these varmits but I'm beginning to think that they overwinter in the soil. I sure would like to find a way to drive a stake into the hearts of those little sap sucking insects.

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northstar1111

Hart, MI | November 2006 | Negative

I have only found this bug on a poinsettia which I tried to extend beyond our holiday season for many months and an anthurium which I have had for several years. The anthurium is disappointing because it is difficult to grow as a houseplant here.I don't want to loose it.I have looked online to see what to do but it looks involved. I think somehow I overwatered both plants and made them susceptible.

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VbSparky

Dansville, NY (Zone 6a) | November 2006 | Neutral

yellow sticky cards work good to trap them.

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palmbob

Acton, CA (Zone 8b) | September 2006 | Negative

This is one of the scourges of tropical plants, at least in southern California, as well as greenhouses everywhere. This species of white fly is a real pest, and very hard to control/eliminate from the uncontrolled environment (ie. outdoors). Anyone who grows Hibiscus in Southern California is well aware of this pest and the severe problems in causes. This is probably my least favorite pest of all pests. And this is one of the reasons I hardly ever grow Hibiscus here in So Cal... they are White Fly magnets, and it is hard to get through more than a few years without having at least one encounter, if not endless encounters, with this pest.

The White fly is identified by the small white insects fluttering about your Hibiscus, geranium, banana, palm (rare), or one of abou... read more

Greenhouse White Fly

Trialeurodes vaporariorum

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