White flies on Virginia Creeper

I have over 2 acres of raised beds and have every species of plant out there. I don't use insecticides and rely on large numbers of wasps to clean up little aphids etc. But at the ending of summer the wasps go to other sweet foods. So I see my populations of white flies go to millions and only on the V creeper. We vacuum all leaves and needles and chip and shred them into compost. But the last 3 years the numbers have increased. We have had the creeper for over 10 years and it seems to just have started. Swarms of white little flies are disturbed with our attempts to spray the leaves and using soap helps but I would like to find a northern predator that will eat these to keep their numbers minimal. Any Ideas? I miss the red colors in the fall on our fences covered with V. Creeper.
This is last year with constant spraying with hose ever other day during the week. Before this all the V. was dead.

This is the same area the previous year. My big question is why would white flies just pick on my V. Creeper?
You can see it in the background with the brown leaves.

This message was edited Dec 31, 2009 12:33 AM

And here is the same area on the first picture.

Are you absolutely certain that your pest insects are whiteflies (Hemiptera/Sternorrhyncha: Aleyrodidae)? They might also be small leafhoppers (Hemiptera/Heteroptera: Cicadellidae) in the genus Erythroneura, especially if there are grape vines in the vicinity. See http://tinyurl.com/yjmludg for an image of Erythroneura nymphs.
If you do have leafhoppers, you could try interplanting with petunias and geraniums as these plants reportedly may repel leafhoppers (see http://tinyurl.com/yaoj5bk). They also are attacked by tiny parasitic wasps in the family Mymaridae that develop in the eggs of the leafhoppers (see http://tinyurl.com/yaxhtyw).

No leaf-hoppers here. Yes I know that that is the most common parasite of the grape family. But these are white flies. Almost invisible in flight but swarms when you disturb the vine. My big worry is why doesn't the white fly parasitize the rest of the garden? The V creeper is healthy happy and mature. I think my fertilizer is a partial cause. I tend to place large amounts of compost around it. I must stop.

Unfortunately, I have no good idea as to why the whiteflies appear to be avoiding other plants in the vicinity of your Virginia creepers. As you likely are well aware, there are many factors, including nutritive quality and host plant defenses, that enter into host selection by herbivorous insects. However, I just came across one that I hadn't considered before - differential predation risk - see http://tinyurl.com/ydfgb9p

This may explain the predation of the wasp is 1 repelled (plant chemical), 2 inhibited (dense leaf structure), or 3 Wasp has stopped predating on the late laid egg or larvae. Good idea, Thank you.

We've had infestations of whiteflies here in the last number of years. Here they hit morning glories, members of the hibiscus families and may prefer different plants in different locales as far as I know. What has worked for myself and a good number of others is earthworm castings. Not a 'mix' of castings, with other ingredients included, but the straight castings, mulching the soil beneath affected plants to 1 inch thick. Earthworm castings are not cheap and if you have a large area could be rather costly. I've had to use it only beneath my perennial morning glories and Rose of Sharon, but it works. Used it once and whiteflies gone and haven't returned after 4 years. We had whitefly infestations down here so bad that long furry white 'beards' were hanging from the affected plants.....