The whitefly in the garden (how to get rid of it, will be described below) often appears. It is a small flying insect. Outwardly, it resembles white miniature moths, which swarm soar above plants if disturbed. On the leaves you can find eggs and insect larvae. The latter look like grayish small grains. During the work, it is the whitefly in the garden that causes huge damage to the crops. How to deal with this pest?
General information
Before talking about how to get rid of whiteflies in the garden, you should get to know this insect better. In Latin, the name of the pest is: Aleyrodidae. Whitefly is an insect with incomplete transformation. However, despite this fact, Aleyrodidae has a rather complicated development. There is a small stalk on their eggs. A flat, mobile oval-shaped larva searches for a nutritionally suitable area on the plant. She clings to the surface and holds her legs under her. The glands secrete wax, which forms a barrier around the larva that adheres quite tightly to the cortex or leaf.
Development
After the first molt, the larvae and legs quite noticeably decrease, and it itself becomes immobile. At the fourth age, a change in body shape is noted. It, being inside the wax capsule, begins to swell. During this period, the larva stops feeding. In her body there is a restructuring of the whole organization, as in a chrysalis. So, wings, antennae, long legs are laid, the organs of an adult are formed.
Diet
Before figuring out how to get rid of whiteflies in the garden, it should be said that begonias, fuchsia, passionflower, balsamine, lanthanum, and pelargonium are considered to be favorite plants for an insect. If there are no favorite crops, then the pest attacks most known indoor flowers. In greenhouse conditions, whiteflies are often found on cucumbers. The insect also lives on other crops. There is also a whitefly on tomatoes. In a greenhouse, an insect can cause great damage to plantations. In open areas, many herbaceous plants are often damaged. Shaded places are considered favorite. Often there is a whitefly on strawberries.
additional information
Adult insects have a pale yellowish color, about 1.3 mm long. Whiteflies have two pairs of wings that are covered with wax pollen. Besides the fact that the insect can fly, it also jumps well. In spring, the female lays miniature eggs on the lower part of the leaves. In place of the masonry, a white coating remains. Larvae draw juice from the leaves. Mass whitefly on strawberries is observed. "How to deal with this insect?" - The main question for many summer residents. After all, the pest almost completely destroys the leaves. In the areas of damage, you can see subtle, small spots of a yellowish tint. Having reached the third age, the larvae turn into puparia. Soon, adults fly out of them. During the summer, the insect develops in three to four generations.
Signs of defeat
As mentioned above, insects settle on the underside of the leaf. On the parts of the plant below, you can see a brilliant coating (pad, or honey dew). These are the stools of insects. On this plaque soot mushrooms subsequently begin to develop. Because of this, the surface of the leaves is covered first with a white coating, and then becomes black. Sooty mushrooms, and not whiteflies, can harm the plant more. How to destroy a pest? What are the ways?
Whitefly: Chemical Fighting
The biggest problem is the insect in dry weather. How to get rid of whiteflies in the garden using chemicals? Today in gardening stores a fairly wide selection of tools is presented. All drugs are produced by fairly well-known manufacturers, have instructions with recommendations for use and precautions. Typically, chemicals must be diluted in water immediately before use. The optimal ratio is indicated by the manufacturer in the instructions. For many gardeners, one of the main problems is whitefly in the garden. How to get rid of an insect, every summer clerk should know.
The method of processing crops
The application of the drug will depend on the type of culture and its vegetative stage. Urgent measures against the insect should be taken if it is seen on seedlings, since enormous damage to the stands can be done if the whitefly in the garden begins to spread in large quantities. How to get rid of a pest in seedlings? The prepared solution should process the entire terrestrial part of the plant. The concentration can be increased if necessary, if this is not prohibited by the instruction. But, as a rule, there is nothing to worry about, since the chemical component will decay by the time the ovary is formed. It should be said that quite noticeable damage does the insect to flowers. If cutting ornamental plants is not planned, then the use of insecticides is not limited. It must be remembered that cut and brought into the house flowers can cause infection and domestic crops.
Pest Control
Whitefly delivers a lot of trouble. The fight against it is made by such popular drugs:
- Means "Actellik". Available in ampoules. 1 liter of water is taken 1 pc. Processing is carried out during the appearance of the insect. Two liters of solution is enough for 10 m 2 . No more than four treatments are carried out. The effect can be expected on the third day.
- The drug "Verticillin J." The tool is diluted at the rate of 25 ml per liter of water. Processing is carried out by double spraying. The interval between them is 7 or 10 days.
- Means "Confidor". The drug consumption is per 1 liter of water 0.1 ml. Spray once.
- The drug "Pegasus". Divorced in a ratio of 2 ml of funds per liter of water. Two-time spraying is carried out with a break of 7-10 days.
- Means "Fosbetsid". The product is diluted in the ratio of 5 ml of the drug to 5 liters of water.
- It is possible to reduce the amount of damage on squash, cucumbers and zucchini by treating plants every 10 days with the Bud tool. 10 grams of the drug is diluted in 10 liters.
- With the mass appearance of an insect, the drug "Rovikurt" is recommended. For 10 liters of water you need 10 grams of funds.
Traps
Many summer residents are interested in whether it is possible to eliminate such an insect as whitefly without chemicals. Folk methods of struggle, I must say, are very common among experienced gardeners. Here's what summer residents advise: to catch adult individuals, you can use glue traps. They are pieces of hardboard or plywood, painted white or yellow. After drying, the surfaces are smeared with castor oil, honey with rosin or petroleum jelly. Pests are attracted by the bright color (preferably yellow), they sit on the bait and simply stick. After a lot of insects accumulate on plywood, they wipe it and soak it again. Glue traps designed for flies are also effective.
Alternative measures
The hardest thing, as practice shows, is to eliminate the whitefly in the greenhouse. It is undesirable to use chemicals here. This is due to the fact that aggressive substances accumulate in the soil, from where it is almost impossible to remove them. In this case, it is better to use alternative methods. The most harmless is mechanical removal. Insects can be knocked off the ground with a stream of water. After this, it is necessary to loosen the soil near the stem.
Effectively also spraying plants with tincture of garlic. The whitefly will be scared away by a pungent smell, and it will fly to look for a more attractive place. To prepare the infusion, you need to take crushed cloves (about 150-170 gr.) And pour a liter of water. Insist should be for five days in a tightly closed container. For processing, 6 grams diluted in a liter of water will be enough. An excellent solution is a thick solution with laundry soap. They can process strawberries. This tool does not pose a danger to humans, and the method of its application does not depend on the vegetative stage of the plant. To protect the tomatoes, a weak solution of lime or copper sulfate is suitable . Processing leaves reliably protect them from insect invasion.
Parasite use
There is another alternative method of eliminating whiteflies. It provides for the use of enkarzia - a parasitic insect. It can be ordered at biological laboratories and vegetable farms. This parasitic insect eliminates whiteflies very effectively. At the same time, enkarsia does not have a negative effect on plants. After the pest is destroyed, the parasite simply disappears. In the event of a repeated invasion, it will be necessary to start the enkarzia again.
Preventive actions
Experienced gardeners say that pests can be prevented. In late autumn, it is recommended to dig a site, destroying weeds and removing all the tops. Do not place the compost heap directly on the site. This is due to the fact that it will be a very attractive place for wintering whiteflies and other pests. As a rule, insects appear where high humidity is combined with high temperature, where ventilation is not good enough, and plants are placed very close to each other. That is why, first of all, plantings need to provide optimal conditions. As a prophylaxis, you can also use drugs that strengthen plants.