How to get rid of whiteflies in the garden: a review of effective tools

Whitefly is a small winged pest, with the advent of which the future crop is in danger. And the reason for this is the diet of this insect, consisting solely of plant juices. And if the number of parasites becomes too large, then in just a week they are able to destroy a significant part of cultivated and ornamental plants. Leaves on infected shrubs quickly lose their natural color, turn pale, dry out, and due to a lack of nutrients, plant growth stops. But if a pest is detected in a timely manner, then it is quite possible to preserve the crop. And then we will tell you how to get rid of whiteflies in the garden.

Chemicals

The use of chemical insecticides refers to radical methods of control, since they allow you to get rid of the pest very quickly. Treated plants absorb the active ingredients of the drug and become toxic to whiteflies. And when the parasite drinks poisoned juice, it is guaranteed to die, and literally in a few hours.

On a note! Here it is necessary to take into account the fact that all prepared insecticides act only on adult individuals and larvae, and they are not able to affect whitefly eggs. For this reason, after 7-10 days, the treatment is repeated to destroy the newly hatched insects!

So, to deal with whiteflies in the garden, the following chemicals can be advised.

• "Actellik" is an organic preparation with intestinal action. Penetrates the body of an insect and leads to its early death. It contains fluoride additives. It belongs to the second class of danger, and therefore it is included in the list of hazardous substances - it is extremely not recommended to use it during flowering, since together with whiteflies it will also destroy bees.
• "Rovikurt" - works well both against whiteflies and other garden pests. Recommended for the protection of vegetables, indoor plants and garden trees. Processing "Rovikurt" is carried out exclusively in the phase of active growth and no later than 30 days before the removal of the fruit.
• Actara is a systemic drug with a prolonged effect. Provides plant protection for 3-5 weeks. Processing is carried out as follows: the working solution is injected under the root of each plant. With a large number of parasites, the culture is simultaneously sprayed - it is advisable to do this three times with two weekly intervals.
• “Acarin” or “Agravertin” is an intestinal contact insecticide. Using this drug, you can destroy not only the whitefly, but also the spider mite. The working solution should be sprayed abundantly with infected plants, paying particular attention to the lower surfaces of the leaves, where parasites usually sit.
• "Fitoverm" - this tool works well against almost all garden pests, including whiteflies. Processing with this agent must be carried out twice, no more.It is a 4th generation biological product, has a fairly wide spectrum of action and is rapidly destroyed in the ground without polluting the environment.
• "Confidor" is an insecticide with a low consumption rate and a long period of action, and the pest will begin to die after an hour and a half after the treatment. Recommended for use on vegetable crops and fruit trees. It works great even in adverse weather conditions: it is not washed off by rain and continues to be highly effective in the heat.
• "Spark" - a whitefly remedy based on imidacloprid, characterized by high efficiency. Provides long-term protection - about 25 days, and therefore often allows you to get rid of all pests in one application.

Features of Insecticides

1. Any chemicals should be used strictly according to the instructions, otherwise it is likely to cause harm to their own health.
2. It should be remembered that the active substances of insecticides are able to accumulate in the tissues of plants and directly in the fruits.
3. When processing crops in closed ground, it is highly recommended not to work more than 2 hours. Children and animals should close access to treated greenhouses.
4. During spraying and irrigation, poisonous substances must be avoided in open and closed water sources.
5. It is advisable to prepare the working solution and use it for its intended purpose in personal protective equipment. If the chemical is accidentally swallowed, or if it enters the mucous membranes, seek medical attention immediately.

Folk methods

If you do not want to use chemicals in your garden, then in this case, you can use folk remedies to combat whitefly. For the most part, these are drugs with a contact action, that is, they are able to destroy a parasite only by hitting it on its body. They do not penetrate into plants, and therefore are safe for human health.

• Wiping leaves with water is the most harmless, but at the same time quite laborious way to get rid of whiteflies. Each week, the leaves of infected cultures should be wiped with a damp sponge. As a result, you wash off the larvae that are on the underside of the leaves and gradually destroy the entire whitefly population. For greater effectiveness, you can add a little liquid soap to the water.
  

  On a note! This method is considered suitable for a small garden. If there are several greenhouses or plantings are quite voluminous, then this method will be unreasonably difficult!

• A solution of laundry or tar soap. The bar of soap should be chopped with a knife or grated, then dissolved in water - 1 part of soap shavings 6 parts of water. The finished product must be thoroughly beat until a strong foam is obtained and its stems and leaves are applied with an ordinary sponge. The same drug is used in another way - for spraying (without whipping!). They process the aerial parts of plants and spray the soil around them.
  

  Important! When spraying, care should be taken to prevent the penetration of soapy solution into the deeper layers of the soil! In addition, do not exceed the concentration of soap, otherwise you will burn the delicate leaves of plants!

• Garlic infusion. We peel the two medium cloves of garlic and pass them through the press. Pour the resulting mass with a liter of water and leave everything in a dark place for 24 hours. After the specified time, we infiltrate the infusion and use it for spraying the infected culture. After a week we do the second treatment, another week later - the third.
• Yarrow. We take about 100 g of plant leaves and pour a liter of boiling water. Leave for a couple of days, then filter and spray with the finished product of the plant. It is advisable to use twice or thrice with an interval of seven days.
• Tobacco infusion. If there is tobacco on your site, then it must first be dried.In extreme cases, you can use tobacco from some kind of sticky cigarettes, for example, Prima (you need one pack). Pour tobacco with a liter of hot water and put it in a dark place. Five days later, we filter the infusion. Ready-to-use spray plants every three days until the death of all whiteflies.
• Dandelion. Here we will use both the roots and leaves of dandelion. Grind 80 g of raw materials thoroughly and pour a liter of boiling water. Leave for three days, then filter. We process infected bushes and trees twice with an interval of a week.

Glue traps

Glue traps can only be called an additional measure that can be taken to destroy whiteflies in the garden along with folk remedies. With the help of traps alone, you will not be able to completely destroy the pest colony, since such devices can save only adult flying individuals.

Glue traps today can be purchased at almost any garden store. The following can be used against whiteflies:

• "Pheromone";
• "Bona Forte";
• ARGUS, etc.

An adhesive trap is a kind of bait, which is a sheet of cardboard or plastic, impregnated with a layer of non-drying adhesive. As a rule, they are painted in attractive to insects, yellow color. Such devices are not toxic and do not emit any odors.

Touching the adhesive surface, the whitefly sticks and can no longer tear itself away from it. Moreover, adhesion occurs at the slightest contact of the insect with glue. Such traps are good because with their help you can catch a large number of not only whiteflies, but also other garden pests, such as mushroom mosquitoes, aphids, mineral flies and spider mites. But at the same time, they have one significant drawback - it’s convenient to place them above the plants only in a greenhouse, and in open ground conditions this is quite problematic.

For installation in a greenhouse, the most suitable are traps with wire fasteners, which allow you to hang them over the crowns of shrubs. For every ten square meters, one trap is used. In gardens, they can be installed on holders next to each infected plant.

Important! It is important to consider that beneficial insects, for example, bees and pollinating butterflies, can also fall into the glue trap. For this reason, it is undesirable to use such devices during the flowering period!

The above methods are very effective against whiteflies and other garden pests. You just have to choose the most suitable drug and use it to process plantings.

May your land be free from pests! Have a good harvest!