The main methods of dealing with whitefly on vegetable seedlings

A small harmless white midge, the whitefly is capable of quickly attacking seedlings and adult trees. The main danger is growing larvae. They are terribly gluttonous, and they are completely indifferent to any kind of drugs. Therefore, the main remedy against whitefly is prevention.

Brief description of the pest

Whiteflies take off from the bush at the slightest touch of the foliage. Individuals are very fertile, each capable of laying up to 130 eggs, of which gluttonous larvae grow on the 5-6th day, after 14 days they turn into nymphs. Eggs are hard to spot. They are small and greenish in color. It is partly saved by the fact that females lay clutch only in spring (in open ground).

Therefore, having found the first whiteflies on the seedlings, we immediately begin the fight, using all available means. Otherwise, there is a great risk of losing all seedlings of tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and bell peppers. The appearance of pests for tomatoes is especially scary. Parasites affect not only sprouts, but also adult plants. Damaged tomatoes turn white from the inside and lose their taste and presentation.

Important
In the greenhouse, female whiteflies lay their eggs all year round. Therefore, it is important to start treatment in a timely manner and use several prevention methods.

Effective ways to fight

In a room with seedlings or in a greenhouse on the foliage, we saw a small spot of whitish bloom - we immediately begin processing with all available means. Whiteflies hide from the back of the leaves, it is difficult to notice them, but it is easy to find the yellowed foliage of the seedlings, which soon fall off, the sprouts die.

Chemicals

If the seedlings are grown in a greenhouse, we prepare a solution of any pesticide. Be sure to protect your eyes and respiratory system.

Experienced gardeners recommend several effective remedies against adults:

• We dilute the Aktellik ampoule in a liter of water, fill it with a spray bottle and process all foliage surfaces, the maximum number of treatments is 4 per season;
• dilute 25 ml of "Verticillin Zh" in 1 liter of warm water and process the seedlings 2 times with a break a week;
• in 5 liters of water we dilute a maximum of 5 ml of the preparation "Phosbecid" and treat the affected plants.

If we grow seedlings at home, you will need to take other formulations:

1. Systemic drug "Aktara" valid for a month. For processing, we dilute the product according to the instructions on the package and water the soil under the seedlings. Some gardeners recommend making the solution more concentrated and dealing with the whitefly in one treatment, but there is a high risk of burning young foliage. It is better to repeat the treatment 3 times with a break of 15-18 days.
2. Means "Verticillin" It is made from fungus spores that are safe for humans and pets. We dilute the drug according to the scheme: per liter of water - 25 ml of the chemical. Spraying is carried out 2 times with a break of 7 days.

To combat clutches of eggs and larvae of pests, hormonal agents "Admiral" and "Match" are recommended.

If there are small children in the house or you are an opponent of pesticides, it is better to use other methods of exterminating the whitefly: manually peel the foliage or add natural enemies to the midge.

Mechanical methods

Garden stores sell industrial adhesive tapes to trap parasites. You can make such traps yourself. We cut off rectangular blanks from wood, fiberboard or thin plywood.We paint with yellow oil paint and coat with any non-hardening adhesive. Plain petroleum jelly or castor oil will do, but then the sticky layer will have to be renewed periodically.

We hang traps next to seedlings or adult plants. A whitefly attracted by the yellow color flies onto the glue and sticks. Conventional fly strips are also quite effective.

If it is possible to bring electricity to the garden bed, connect a vacuum cleaner and remove large accumulations of pests. To combat eggs and larvae, we wash the foliage daily with a solution of laundry soap.

Biological preparations

To fight at home or when growing a large number of vegetable seedlings in a greenhouse, it is recommended to use several preparations of a biological principle of action. According to gardeners, the best are two types of predatory insects: "Encarsia" and "Trichaporus" (Encarsia partenopea).

They are able to provide 98% of success, it is enough to place on 1 m² seedlings are three predators. These species work especially fruitfully on tomato seedlings. We add that Encarsia Formosa successfully fights against both midges and clutches of eggs and larvae. The third good predator is Macrolofus. To protect seedlings at 1 m² it is enough to release 5 bugs, but the work will have to be repeated after 14 days.

Folk recipes

To achieve the best results, it is necessary to combine the use of folk remedies with mechanical traps and washing the seedlings with soapy water.

Solutions prepared on the basis of odorous plants are effective against whitefly:

1. Garlic. Grind 200 g of teeth with a knife or on a fine grater, fill with a liter of water. Cover with a lid and set aside in a dark and warm place for a week. The result is a concentrated infusion. We dilute 6-7 g in a liter of water and spray the planting.
2. Yarrow. Grind 80 g of the plant and fill it with a liter of boiling water. Cover with a lid, wrap in a blanket and set aside for a day. We filter the finished solution and process the foliage with it from 2 sides. When processing grown seedlings with large leaves, we wash them with a cloth soaked in a solution.
3. Dandelion. Pour 40 g of grass and roots with 1 liter of water. Set aside for 2-3 hours. We filter and spray over the foliage of the seedlings.

Advice
To fill the pores and cracks and to “stick” the product to the foliage, we recommend adding laundry soap and manganese (10-12 crystals) to the prepared solution.

There is another popular recipe: we buy an emulsion for the treatment of scabies at the pharmacy, dilute 50 g in a liter of warm water and process the plants.

Prevention

Fighting pests, most likely, will not be necessary if you periodically carry out prevention of their spread:

1. There is a high probability of the appearance of a whitefly on the site or in the greenhouse when buying plants and ready-made seedlings on the market. Therefore, carefully examine the plants before buying and set the seedlings in a separate room for 10-14 days. During this period, larvae will appear, such plants will either have to be burned or treated with two or more courses of all types of drugs.
2. Often, pest eggs are brought in with the ground. Therefore, pre-disinfect it, for example, with cold: whitefly eggs die at temperatures below + 10 ° C. To get rid of pests in the greenhouse, do not heat it in winter, and the eggs laid in the ground will certainly die.

Whitefly is dangerous by its fertility, and its larvae by its gluttony. At an early stage, damage is difficult to notice, which is why prevention is so important. If the parasites nevertheless colonized the seedlings, you have to be careful and patient, then the plants and the crop can be saved.