Whiteflies!?#>!#!?<$!? Putting it nicely!!!

I got them before I knew what they were and now they are driving me out of my mind. I've trashed quite a few mature plants because they were just t-o-o infested to even try to spray.
What has been your experience with these little devils? What causes them? What did you do to get rid of them?

they are part of the green house furnture i'm affraid, you are lucky if you dont get them at some point, all i ever do is keep spraying the plants with water, hand help pump spray, evry day, that takes care of a lot of them, then every so often i let the survivers have it with a bug spray, you can try and use a biological control, there a parasitic wasp that lays its eggs on them, but they only last as long as you keep the door closed, and the temperature doesnt get to low, pain the **** they are.

Alan

Hi;
Does soapy spray help???
Tom

I had them really bad years ago. Now, not a one. I have found that they only like certain plants. If these happen to be ornamentals, I treat them with a systemic. Once I eliminated what they can eat, controling them was easy. It's tough to spray for these buggers(no pun intended), since they hang out on the underside of leaves or will fly away till the spraying is done and return later. My friend uses a nicotine bomb in his commercial greenhouse. I think that takes care of everything, including people, if they're not careful.

Hi Tom, i use soapy water on green fly, and that works, havent tried it on whites yet, but i dont see why not ?.

Alan

Frank..Never heard of a nicotine bomb. Where would one purchase one and how does it affect the plants?
Does the soapy water kill the larvae?

Nett, i had a small dhailia that was smotherd in the [profanity removed]ed things, i gave it a good dose of soapy water twice, they never came back, so i am assuming so.

Alan.

I've been very lucky and I've never had any whiteflies. My greenhouse has screens on all the base and ridge vents. I definitely recommend them.

Nicotine bombs are sold by greenhouse supply companies. I have never used one, but my friend does. They are like a canned smoke bomb. I doubt they have any ill effects on the plants.

Frank, what's in these bombs - if it's truly nicotine, do you think they would affect tomato seedlings, especially heirloom varieties that might not be resistant to the tobacco wilt virus?

I've always heard you shouldn't smoke around your tomato plants, as it can cause tobacco wilt; I'm a nonsmoker, but my MIL smokes, and has never had success growing tomatoes. I always figured that was at least part of the reason why, although I wouldn't dare make that observation aloud in her presence, (unless I was just feeling really ornery.) If I'm just showing my ignorance here, you can chuckle while you set me straight.....

"I wouldn't dare make that observation aloud in her presence, (unless I was just feeling really ornery.)"

go_vols, you're sooooo funny! I'm ROFL!!!!

Terri

Hey, she's shorter than me. So I can be ornery every now and then until my husband gives me the STINK EYE!!!!

But that height thing counts for a lot in my book. Of course, when she's back froom the beauty shop (my daughter calls it the booty shop, but that's another story), she LOOKS taller because she's got that big hair thang goin. I love her to death, but we gotta have some of the common in-law rivalries, right?

Hi;
I understand it is touching the plants while smoking, somthing about the tobacco being able to transfer the disease to the tomatoes.
Tom

Yes, they are indeed nicotine. I remember reading something about making an insect spray using cigarette butts and water, but I do not remember the details. Nicotine is supposed to be a powerful insectacide.
I just looked up the nicotine bomb in my greenhouse supply book. They call them 'fumigants' and cost $160 for 10,000 cubic feet of area. I think it would be cheaper to have a bunch of smokers stop by for a few hours!LOL!

go_vols, My MIL is a 5 foot spitfire, hellion, and a "little napoleon" all rolled into one!!! ROFL!!! To tell you the truth, those are the qualities I love about her. Now about those OTHER qualities...... ROFL!!!!

Hey Frankiepoo! ;)

Terri

hi all, Nicotine "bombs" are total release aerosol or a canned solid that you light with a flame. they are deadly poison, will kill anything that breathes the smoke or absorbs it thru their skin. one has to have an applicators license to purchase it. The REI is about 48 hrs. (restricted entry interval)
I have found for the whiteflies to use an insect growth regulator like a neem product and alternate with natural pyrethrum and super fine oil spray or safers soap. You have to keep spraying at three day intervals for 21 days to break the cycle. Be sure to rotate classes of chemicals to avoid resistance and kill all stages.
Calalily

Re: wilt and tobacco mosaic virus.

The theory is that the tobacco in the cigarettes can carry it, and transfer it to tomatoes.

One of the great ironies, though, is to watch the experessions on the faces of tomato growers when in the presence of Carolyn Male. Carolyn smokes like a chimney, and doesn't hesitate to handle seedlings and mature plants while doing so.

She says it has never made a difference to her plants. Truth? Or self justification? I have no opinion either way, but Carolyn grows a lot of tomatos each year.

go_vols a little update for you.

in 1896 80% of the worlds tobacco crop was infested with
TMV Tobacco Mosaic Virus. Smokers rolled their own.

Since then in 1998 the TMV in cigarette tobacco was 0.137%
0 in Cigar and 0 in chewing tobacco.

Conn has almost 100,000 A of tobacco. In the past 30 years
only 4 cases of TMV reported. Those were seed borne in sweet bell peppers. UKY says in chewing tobacco no reported cases in over 30 years, All varieties are tmv resistant.

Per Dir of Plant Pathology at NCSU And a Plant Pathologist
for Phillip Morris. Dishsoap will inactivate the TMV virus.

a 1997 book "Color Handbook of Garden Insects" by Anna Carr
Rodal press. pg 197, Whiteflies control with tobacco dust or tobacco tea. Tobacco Dust and Jerry Bakers tobacco jucie bug spays are so non-toxic that they do not need an EPA label. There is no re-entry problems using these 2 products.

Bakers tobacco juice bug spray works for white flies.

FWIW
Byron

Wow! Thanks for all the information, Brook and Byron! (But if I'm reading this correctly, it sounds like I can't hold the tomato plants over my MIL's head as yet another reason she should quit smoking....darn!)

Go_Vols

A big difference.

When you apply a tobacco product to the plants, the amount applied biodegrades very rapidly. It is not consumed by the plant.

Smoking is a different ball game. But I will say excessive
amounts in the greenhouse could build a film on your plants. I wouldn't let her have the TV and a small cooler/coffee pot in the greenhouse.


Byron

Why, Byron I do believe you've got her pegged!!! LOL!

I love her dearly, but the smoking really aggravates my asthma, so I don't spend much time indoors with her. She has three grandkids with asthma, too (one of my kids, and my SIL's two boys).......obviously, if she won't quit for their sake, she ain't gonna quit for the 'maters! But I keep hoping she'll find something that causes her to quit - for her own health.

I just thought of something we used last winter that kept the whiteflies at bay - Ortho Rose Systemic Fertilizer/Insecticide! I didn't use it this year, and just bought some yesterday to try again. We didn't have too many last winter, but this winter has been a different story. I think I will put some in each pot this evening; knock the whiteflies down with a heavy misting; and mist every couple of days until we get them under control. The Ortho stuff smells horrible, but it does seem to work.

Just a thought............

Becky G.

Becky

Here is the problem,
You can not use systemics on veggies.

There is one or 2 made, but you must be a licensed pesticide applicator to use it.

As a home grower you can not buy it, Tech. if you get some
possesion of this stuff follows the same laws as drugs.
"Ileagal possesion of a controled substance"


Byron

Ooop, sorry! Wasn't paying attention! I wouldn't use it on veggies........we don't grow them, but I wouldn't use any chemical on veggies! But it does work on flowers/shrubs!

Becky G.

Becky

It does work, but also your beneficial insects don't like it either.


Byron

Here's some info and help with the whitefly problem:
http://ghorganics.com/whiteflies.html

Here's another source:
http://www.gardensalive.com/pestguide_item.asp?article_id=55&Type=solution

We built our green house last summer and we have white flies already. Since we are totaly organic I went on the net to Gardens Alive and found a spray called "Pyola" My husband has been spraying once a week and I think they are under control. Happy gardening! Spring is just around the corner. Jeanie

photojeanie, I like that place, too! They have a good selection. :)

Terri

Pyola oil from Gardens Alive seems to be working for me
on the Whitefles. All you do is mix it with
water put in a spray bottle and spray the top of the leaves
and under the leaves where they like to gather and so far
using this product I haven't lost my Brugmansia and the Pyola oil doesnt harm the plant if mixed like the directions tell you.

Well worth the money and it says it also kills fungus gnats as a plus LOL


Carol

When we incounter unwanted garden pest, we usually start looking for a chemical spray to rid us of the pesty little things, when in fact you can buy "good bugs" for your garden that will rid them for you. such as Green Lacewings which are also known as the Aphid lion,a ravenous green lacewing can eat up to 1,000 insects per day including aphids,mealybugs,scale,whitefly larvae,mites,thrips and more.you can buy 1,000 eggs for $15. also the common Ladybug, 1500 of them for $15. "where" can you buy these helpful little bugs, www.shepherdseeds.com Just thought you'd like to know a Natural way of ridding yourself of unwanted pest.

So true, MOLLYBEE. The good thing about Pyola is that it's all natural. It's made from canola oil and pyrethrins and controls all stages of the insect's life cycle, including eggs. If you're into organic methods, check out Gardens Alive. You'll love it! :)

Terri

Proper ventilation and air movement help decrease problems with any pest.

Because of the enviromental conditions, reproduction rates of insects in greenhouses can often become limited only by the rate at which the insects can eat. The rate at which they can eat is determined by how fast excess fluid is lost from their bodies, as their food (plant juices) is relatively dilute.

Maintaining a higher humidity level slows water loss from their bodies, resulting in slower feeding, and slower reproduction. Slower feeding also means slowing plant damage!

I've found that denatured ethanol from the hardware store mixed 50/50 with water makes an excellent contact poison for most insects. Stop the fans in your greenhouse, spray with the alcohol, then fire the fans up again.

Be careful not to breathe this mix, denatured ethanol is usually denatured with methanol. This mix is a powerful dessicant, and sucks the juice right out of the bugs, killing them quickly. Test this on a small number of plants before spraying it everywhere. The alcohol can solvate the cuticle of some plants, causing them irreversible harm. It is important to get the ventilation going again after you spray, as it gets the alcohol off of the plants quickly, and speeds dessication of the insects. If the alcohol isn't removed within an hour or so it will surely cause damage to the plants.

This isn't for the faint of heart, as it is fairly risky to the plants. However alternating this with water mistings every other day for a week will knock down nearly any pest.

One advantage over other pesticides is the incredibly short duration. Even pyrethrins, which have a short active period, tend to be harder on the beneficial insects. Pests can stay in one place (often a sheltered place under leaves, etc) and have the plant pump juice to them. Predator insects have to roam about in search of their food, our pests. Thus preadatory insects tend to contact more of the pesticides. With the alcohol spray the insects that are directly sprayed die quickly, and there is little time for predatory insects that escaped the first onslaught to be harmed when they come back out to hunt the remaining pests.

Do remember to ventilate though. There is probably no other single thing you can do to improve the general health of your plants in the greenhouse.

Thanks for flying,
Glider

Over the winter, I installed osmanthus, gardenias, japenese yews, St. John's wort and perennials. Recently, I noticed my privet had whiteflies and I had the bushes removed. Prior to their removal, there were no whiteflies on my new plants. Now I have whiteflies everywhere and the landscape installer told me that the only way he has killed a whitefly infestation is to remove the infected plants in winter. This is a tremendous financial loss. I have sprayed with Bayer insecticide and a Bayer systemic. But maybe I shoud go organic. Can I get rid of these insects completely or are they just controlled?

We had them bad years ago. Our greenhouses are not used in winter. By spring all we had were corpses. If your winter is cold enough, let them freeze to death!
All our greenhouses go through a cold period from summer until about mid-Feb. Seems to slove all inscect & disease probelms.
Bernie