How to get rid of whitefly on tomatoes in a greenhouse
A small butterfly, can cause serious harm to vegetable crops, we plant it in a personal plot. You should know the basic principles of the development and reproduction of these small insects so that the fight against whitefly in a greenhouse on tomatoes is successful.
This butterfly is capable of multiplying, forming huge colonies. One female lays up to 250 eggs. Whitefly is dangerous for planted tomatoes, but besides this, up to 300 different types of other crops are not immune from its invasion.
Whitefly characteristic
There are 2 types of such insects: indoor and greenhouse. The latter live in greenhouses. They like humid and warm air. The primary infection occurs with the planting material, or through already infected plants.
Small in size (up to 3 mm) whitefly, similar to a garden aphid, but its wings have a white bloom. She often settles in a large group on the back of the leaves. There she lays eggs, from which the larvae subsequently hatch. It is they who, digging into the plant and drinking juices from it, can cause serious harm, and subsequently lead to the death of the plant.
At a time when the larvae have not yet turned into a cocoon, they can be removed using insecticides. The dense shell reliably protects the larva during this period. In the future, when the time for hatching of adults begins and the time for the emergence of a new generation of insects comes again, the process of fighting them may fail.
After micro destruction of foliage, the sap of the plant is released to the surface, and together with the feces of this insect, an excellent environment is formed for the development of fungal infection. On the leaves of tomatoes, at first there are places of silvery plaque, but over time, sooty mushrooms resembling dark spots are formed on them.
The first signs of pest damage
To know how to treat plants from whitefly, you should study the main signs that appear at the initial stage of plant damage by this insect:
- in the greenhouse you can see small insects flying by;
- when shaking a tomato bush, a cloud of fluttering small butterflies appears above it;
- on the underside of the tomato leaves, as well as on its other parts, almost transparent scaly segments are stuck;
- the appearance of dark spots on the plant is a clear sign of damage by a sooty fungus that forms on the excrement of whiteflies;
- plants do not grow fast enough;
- twisted leaves appear on the stems of greenhouse tomatoes;
- the fruits of tomatoes acquire a whitish hue, cease to ripen.
If such features are found, one can suspect that the plants are already affected by this pest. Get rid of the insect immediately afterwards.
Destruction methods
Novice gardeners may not have encountered such a phenomenon, and do not know how to get rid of these insects. Flying individuals are much easier to destroy than their larvae. Plus, the adults themselves aren't as dangerous as their newly hatched babies. Therefore, the fight against whitefly on tomatoes should begin at the moment the flying midges appear, but before the time when they lay their eggs. To eliminate these pests, we get rid of in several ways.
Using chemicals
Infected plants are sprayed with insecticides, which can be purchased at gardening stores. Such remedies act on tomato pests through the plants, after the poison is absorbed into the stems and leaves of the bushes. Therefore, it is necessary to find suitable preparations for the treatment of bushes.
During the formation of ovaries on tomatoes, soap-based products are used. This takes into account the degree of infestation by insects. Of these drugs, they are recognized as the best: Pegasus, Fosbecid, Aktara, Confidor, Mospilan. How to deal with whitefly on tomato seedlings with these means is indicated on the instructions.
Smoke destruction
The method of getting rid of whitefly on tomatoes using fumigation is one of the most effective methods for greenhouse cultivation. It is enough to carry out such a procedure twice a season, and the pest will not appear on tomato seedlings. After such a procedure, not only adults will die, but also the larvae and pupae of the whitefly.
Techniques of mechanical methods
With this method, the leaves should be treated with soapy water and then washed off with clean water. In this way, you can get rid of the laid-off larvae, freeing the surface of the foliage and allowing the plant to receive oxygen.
Adhesive insect traps can also help get rid of whitefly in the greenhouse. They can be purchased from specialized stores or other locations. If desired, it is built independently. Grease cardboard with bright colors with Vaseline.
For insects that have flocked to such a surface, the petroleum jelly surface will be destructive. After filling with midges, you can erase this layer and lubricate it with Vaseline again.
Before getting rid of the whitefly, prepare a bait from heated rosin, castor oil and honey. Then, it is applied on a dense surface of bright color and exhibited in the greenhouse between rows.
Biological way
This method is a great alternative to pest control with chemicals. At the same time, we fight with the help of special encarsia insects, which lay their larvae on the whitefly body. As it grows, the parasitic larva feeds on the juices from the insect's body, thus gradually killing it.
Also, in the greenhouse between the rows of tomatoes, cardboard boxes are hung with pupae placed in them.
After the appearance of insects, they rush to the whitefly and eat their larvae located on the leaves of tomatoes. Knows how to deal with the whitefly, a common ladybug that eats both adults and larvae, as well as the macrolophus bug. For 1 sq. m. greenhouse area with tomatoes, 5 such bugs are enough. After 15 days, the introduction of new individuals of marcofolus should be repeated.
Folk wrestling techniques
These control methods have the safest effect on the human body. But they have to be carried out in the greenhouse several times to cope with the pest.
Cold air turns out to be fatal for insects.Before getting rid of whitefly in a greenhouse on tomatoes, if possible, seedlings are taken out for a while in the open air. The whitefly cannot stand the smell of garlic. Therefore, a tincture is prepared from it, it is enough to add 2 chopped cloves of garlic to 2 liters of boiling water, and then sprinkle the tomato bushes with it.
Some people use laundry soap to keep the butterfly from breeding. After grinding on a grater, soap is dissolved in hot water, at the rate of 1 part soap to 6 parts liquid. Then, the planted vegetables are sprayed. Will help cope with whitefly infusion of yarrow. To do this, 10 g of dried herbs are brewed in 1.5 liters of boiling water. Then the tomatoes are sprayed. It is advisable to raise the branches so that the solution falls on their lower side.
You can treat tomatoes with a pharmacy scabies remedy. It is bred in water and sprayed with plants.
Preventive actions
If you take measures to prevent the appearance of whiteflies on tomatoes, then you may not need other methods to cope with the invasion of insects. Metal structures should be painted in advance. The land should be carefully cleaned and freed from last year's vegetation.
Purchased tomato seedlings are carefully checked for the possibility of insect infestation. After planting, a mandatory procedure for airing the greenhouse room should be provided, and the temperature inside the greenhouse should not exceed +15 degrees.
