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Video: White Flies
2023 Author : Hannah Pearcy | [email protected] . Last modified: 2023-06-01 01:49
How to fight the whitefly with home remedies can be seen in the video above.
It looks like a fly and is also called that, the white fly - also called moth scale insect - is actually not a fly at all, but closely related to the scale insect.
The approximately 1.5 mm large pests with the characteristic white wings originally come from Central and South America, but were introduced to Europe as early as the middle of the 19th century. That is why they are not able to survive long outside of apartments and greenhouses in this country. The temperature also determines the development of the larvae. At over 25 ° C, the up to 400 eggs that a female can lay in the course of her life only need a month to hatch.
White flies cause great damage to vegetables and ornamental plants. They are not particularly demanding when choosing plants. The damage is not caused directly by sucking out the plant sap, but rather by the honeydew produced. This increases the susceptibility of the plant to fungal diseases, especially the soot thaw fungus has an easy time thanks to the whitefly.
Garden care
aphids
Once aphids infest the plants, you have to act quickly
What to do about whiteflies?
If you want to fight whiteflies, you can safely do without the use of chemical agents. On the one hand, the chemical mace usually harms other insects, on the other hand, infestation can also be managed very well with more gentle means.
- Hatchback wasps: The easiest way to get rid of the whitefly is to promote its enemies. The parasitic wasps lay their eggs in the larvae of the whitefly and slowly decimate their population, while the number of parasitic wasps increases steadily. Cards with 1000 parasitic wasp eggs are already commercially available for around 10 euros. Don't worry: if the wasps find no more food, they just move on.
- Yellow sticker: Since very few people want a thousand parasitic wasps in their home, the use of attractant stickers is more suitable there. These attract the animals and then stick to them so that they cannot reproduce.
- Plant protection products: In the case of particularly heavy infestation, biological plant protection products based on oil or neem can be used.
Practical tip: The easiest way to get rid of the whitefly is to create unfavorable conditions for her. Since it prefers a high temperature and a lot of humidity, frequent ventilation in the greenhouse and temporarily placing indoor plants in drafts helps.
Fight whiteflies with home remedies
Instead of commercial crop protection products, these home remedies are also particularly effective against whiteflies:
- Garlic brew: Chop two cloves of garlic, pour into a liter of water, bring to the boil and let steep for an hour. Then spray the affected plants several times a week.
- Water-oil mixture: Mix 70% water with 30% oil and then spray the plant with it. The animals suffocate after a short time.
Practical tip: Isolate the plants you are treating. White flies are not particularly picky and could spontaneously move to another plant if they find it too uncomfortable.
Photo, top: Frank Korting, DLR Rheinpfalz, whitefly on gerberas
