How To Get Rid of White Flies On Plants

1. Eliminating the Infested Leaves

The leaves of the host plants are usually home to the whiteflies. Residing on the underside of the leaves, they are settled forming clusters. Once you identify the clusters, make sure to pick the whole infested leaf.

After carefully plucking all the infested leaves, you need to destroy them completely leaving no trace of whiteflies whatsoever. If you are late to detect the whiteflies and unfortunately your plant dies then make sure to destroy the whole plant far away from your garden.

2. Sunlight and Water

The whiteflies are susceptible to sunlight which is an inseparable element for the plants during photosynthesis. Plants tend to grow more robust upon receiving adequate sunlight while thriving in the most natural form of essential elements.

Similar to this, watering is another thing that makes what your plant is. Water is very crucial to plants and you need to make sure enough water is provided to them, taking caution not to water-log so that plants grow developing more resistance against any unwanted diseases and bugs.

If you are using a hose or spray pipe to water your plants then there is a higher chance that the whiteflies may scatter and fly away.

3. Use of Earthworm

Earthworms are regarded as the friends of farmers. They are responsible for improving the quality of the soil by making it more fertile helping to grow the plants vigorously.

They are also found to help your plants repel the insect infestation by offering an enzyme that is fruitful to the plants but harmful to the bugs and whiteflies leading them to their death and dissolving them naturally.

4. Cleanliness

You must keep your garden area very clean with the removal of all unnecessary weeds and debris that might offer homes to the whiteflies. The whiteflies are believed to be fast reproducers so making your site clean as early as possible would be very effective.

Identifying the unwanted weeds and removing everything that is not useful in your garden should be adopted as a habit if you are an authentic gardener regardless of the crops you are cultivating to minimize the potential of possible whitefly encounters.

5. Access to the Predators

Several natural predators around you attack the whiteflies that have been your and your plants' enemies. More specifically, ladybugs, spiders, and dragonflies are favorite to eat whiteflies.

If whiteflies are only the problem then you might lean on the beetles, mites, lacewings, and parasitic wasps that would kill the whiteflies in some period making your garden accessible to every whitefly predator.

6. Fly Repelling Plants

There are a few plants that naturally act as repellants to the whitefly such as African and French marigolds, Calendula, Nasturtiums, and Peruvian cherry that make sure your garden is protected from the whiteflies and other harmful insects.

The repelling plants that grow in your garden site will be responsible for driving harmful insects away from them minimizing the potential attack from them on the tender foliage of other plants and crops.

7. Bird-friendly Yard

Another natural remedy to cope with the whitefly's problems is to prepare your garden or yard more bird-friendly. Birds like hummingbirds or songbirds are natural predators of the whiteflies. Try investing in birdfeeders, birdbaths, and birdhouses, you won't regret it!

In addition to that, to invite more birds around your garden you need to make sure you have planted local or native plants rather than invasive ones. These would be a great source of attraction for the birds eventually helping you get rid of whiteflies problems.

8. Keep Your Eye on

A regular inspection is very important while cultivating any crops be it indoors or outdoors. If you are quite early locating the infestation around your plants and their leaves, it would be best to go for effective action very early.

This will help us to cope with the problems quite early reducing potential harm to the plants from getting worse while also making the plants grow in favorable conditions through constant care and maintenance.

9. Applying Solution Spray

Another method is to prepare a solution of dish soap and water such that a tablespoon of liquid dish soap is made to get along with a gallon of water. Now, spray this solution on your plants ensuring they are directly falling upon the whiteflies.

Dish soap water solution is believed to be a good remedy against whiteflies and is found to kill these bugs more effectively making more sense for your indoor as well as outdoor plants, keeping in mind not to use soap that is harmful to your plants.

10. Maintain Nitrogen Level of Soil

The nitrogen content of the soil plays a vital role in controlling the whiteflies. It has been found that a lower, but not minimum level of nitrogen in the soil is more likely to resist the whiteflies infesting the plants.

Higher nitrogen levels lead to thinner leaves of your plants making the whiteflies easier to lay eggs and settle. It is recommended that about 40 ppm of nitrogen in your soil is ideal for the plantation of most of the vegetables in your garden. Try avoiding much higher nitrogen levels than this on your soil!

11. Mulching and Fertilizers

Mulching and fertilizing are responsible for developing plants that are more flourished and stronger getting the right amount of nutrients and essential elements. Healthier plants can resist harmful diseases and minimize the potential of getting infested by bugs.

Go for organic mulches and fertilizers such as aluminum reflective mulch and granular fertilizer that are rich in essential nutrients ensuring the robust growth and vitality of the plants. This will make your plants a natural repeller of harmful whiteflies.

12. Alcohol Spray

Before preparing and applying the solution of alcohol and water to your infested plants and their foliage, you need to make sure your plants are not sensitive to this solution which may cause burning of the leaves.

It is recommended to mix 4 ounces of 70% isopropyl alcohol with 12 ounces of water and prepare a solution to spray on your plants. This solution is intolerable to the whiteflies and get killed by them.

13. Chemical Insecticides

It would be best to apply chemical insecticides as a possible remedy at the last to treat the whiteflies considering its potential negative impact on the plants and surroundings. Insecticides such as Malathion or Pyrethrins are effective for killing whiteflies.

It is recommended to spray such chemically enhanced insecticides on both the top and underside of the infested leaves every 3 days for the complete elimination of the whiteflies.

It would be best if you use these types of spray quite early or late in the evening when other useful insects are inactive minimizing the potential harm to them.

14. Vacuuming Whiteflies

Now onwards, as soon as you get a sight of the whitefly population in your garden or yard underneath the leaves of the host plants, you better run to grab your vacuum cleaner and eliminate every one of them.

It is recommended to perform vacuuming usually in the morning when it is still cold outside and the whiteflies are moving at in rather slower pace. After vacuuming them, freeze the closed container for about a day killing each one of them. Keep in mind to be as early as possible for vacuuming before they lay any eggs!

15. Sticky Traps

Many people have been using yellow sticky traps to keep an eye on their infested plants and detect the movement of the whiteflies around them. Although it is not a very effective controlling method, it still can be used to trap adult whiteflies reducing their population to some extent.

It is suggested to use yellow sticky traps placed near the infested leaves, which attract the whiteflies, using petroleum jelly away from the direct sunlight to fall upon them. Make sure to clean the traps regularly!

16. Horticultural Oil

It is also suggested to use commercially available organic control measures such as horticultural oils for aphids, mites, scales, whiteflies, and other soft-bodied insects infesting your plants that would suffocate the bugs.

To prepare the spray, you need to mix 2 ounces of horticultural oil per gallon of water and make a solution. Carefully and tidily spray this solution on the infested foliage regularly until it becomes unbearable to the whiteflies and dies of the suffocation.

17. Reflective Mulches

Reflective plastic mulches that are easily available in garden stores could be another method to fight against the whiteflies. They are generally found to be shiny and metallic-coated.

These mulches can repel whiteflies away from the smaller plants while also enhancing the growth of the crops and controlling weeds. It is recommended to remove all the weeds from your garden before mulching.

Whiteflies are mostly active all year round thriving in the temperature between 10C and 35C. It is quite difficult to diagnose the whitefly infestation on your plants once they are established, thus it is best to identify them as early as possible.

The most common symptoms of the whitefly infestation in the plants are listed below:

• Whiteflies are often found on the undersides of the fresh and newly grown leaves or around leaf veins forming a cluster-like structure.
• They use their piercing mouthparts to suck the juices of plants.
• These juices form a sticky substance on the leaves commonly known as honeydew.
• Over time, infestation makes the leaves of the plants turn yellow from the green which will eventually sag and fall off.
• This will make the plants' further growth and development difficult.
• Honeydew is found to cause fungal diseases on the leaves such as sooty mold which is a sign that whiteflies have been feeding your plants for several days.
• You might as well find the ants around the leaves and plants that are attracted by the honeydew.

Whiteflies are serious crop problems that need proper attention and care to prevent our plants from getting infested bearing huge losses. Complete eradication seems difficult to achieve, however, you can control and prevent them from getting nearer to your yard through a basic strategy.

Some of the useful preventive techniques are discussed below:

Inspection

Before you plan to bring any new plants into your closed spaces or outdoors, you need to make sure it is completely healthy and free from any potentially harmful bacteria and infestations.

It has been recommended to keep your new plants away from the existing ones in your garden or container for some weeks to monitor and inspect any changes or pest activity on them.

Grow healthy plants

Plants have some essential requirements that must be fulfilled for them to grow robust and flourish naturally. Healthier plants are more resistant to possible infestations and pests, and less likely to be affected and get harmed.

You need to make sure your plants get proper sunlight, water, and essential nutrients throughout their growing period. It is suggested to use organic fertilizers and feed periodically to take extra care of your plants.

Eliminate unwanted plants

Your garden site or closed greenhouses must be kept clean and tidy. If any unwanted weeds or plants are thriving on it, it would be best for you to remove them as soon as possible.

This will minimize the potential risk of diseases while reducing the number of host plants in your place. Take proper care of your garden!

Tobacco whitefly (Bemisia tabaci)

The tobacco whitefly, also known as the silverleaf whitefly has been found to have originated from India, thriving in tropical, subtropical, and temperate habitats worldwide. During the early period, this whitefly had caused damage of over $100 million to agriculture in Texas and California of the US.

• Host plants: Tomatoes, squash, poinsettia, cucumber, eggplants, okra, beans, and cotton.
• Common damages: Removing plant sap, breaking down the leaves of the plant, and leaf shedding.

Greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum)

Commonly known as the glasshouse whitefly, the greenhouse whitefly is an insect that thrives in temperate regions worldwide. It is generally found in protected horticultural environments such as greenhouses, growing 1-2 mm in length, with yellow bodies and wax-coated wings.

• Host plants: Cucurbits, potatoes, and tomatoes.
• Common damage: Pulling out nourishment from the phloem sap and producing honeydew, and the ability to transmit several plant viruses.

Citrus whitefly (Dialeurodes citri)

The citrus whitefly is commonly known as the Australian citrus whitefly. It is found across Australia and New Zealand reaching 1-2.5 mm in length. These whiteflies are settled on the undersides of young citrus leaves that tend to fly off in masses when disturbed.

• Host plants: Citrus plants of all types
• Common damage: Extracting all nutrients such as the sugars and sap the plant uses to grow producing honeydew onto the leaves, decreasing the rate of photosynthesis, and ultimately killing the host plant.

Olive fruit fly (Bactrocera oleae)

The larvae of olive fruit fly feed on the fruit of olive trees which is considered a serious pest in the cultivation of olives. The olive fruit fly was first detected in North America in November 1998, now evolving throughout the state of California.

• Host plants: Fruit of olive trees
• Common damage: Removing the pulp which reduces the yield of olives, and decreases the quality of the oil extracted from olives.