I will take you down, white flies.

platys · July 15, 2011

Last year, most of the second half of my tomato season was lost to the evil white fly. Well, they are back this year, even though I moved my plants - what's funny is that they are all over the plants in the new potting mix - not in the old potting mix.

I did release some lacewing eggs, but I'm thinking it won't be enough. So I ordered some Neem. One of my users (I work with a lot of folks in biology and ecology) told me Neem blows all the other organic methods out of the water and will work great with white flies.

I did read that sticky traps will work, but they seem expensive, and since they are outside, they'll get clogged with everything.

b54red · July 15, 2011

Good luck you are going to need it. Whiteflies are one of the most persistent pests to deal with. Some years they are really bad and other years not so much. In years when they are bad it is nearly impossible to control them. I found through trial and error that it is best to alternate the type of sprays used on them for the best results. It seems that when you use just one thing they become nearly immune to its' effects very quickly. If you can spray every 3 days for a couple of weeks with alternating insecticides you can get them to a manageable level. The things that worked the best for me were malthion, pyrethrem, pyrethrin, neem oil, dormant oil spray, tobacco juice, peppermint oil, clove oil, and strong soap solutions added to every spray. You also must spray the undersides of the leaves and the ground under the plants for any of them to be effective.

**mdvpc** · July 15, 2011

You can make your own sticky traps by using yellow stiff cardboard and putting petroleum jelly on them, or buying the sticky stuff in a can.

platys · July 20, 2011

I'm totally going to try that sticky trap trick. hopefully I won't cover myself in petroleum jelly at the same time.

The white flies seem to have been beaten back a bit by the heat. The aphids are still coming on strong, despite the lacewing larva. My Neem finally showed up, so I'm planning on spraying tonight. I know insecticidal soap is bad for leaves when its super hot out, but is neem the same way?

bcday · July 20, 2011

I tried putting petroleum jelly on 6"x6" sheets of stiff yellow plastic. I caught quite a few aphids but very few whiteflies. And even at that the aphids I saw on the plants (through the clouds of whiteflies) still vastly outnumbered the aphids that were caught by the traps. I gave up on yellow sticky traps and went back to spraying soapy water.

cdbva · July 22, 2011

Your title made me laugh, Platys!

Someone has said that aphids take a while to get rid of because the eggs keep on hatching for a few weeks. I had them bad back in May. Espoma Insect Control, whose main ingredient is pyrethrins, which are made of chrysanthemums, took care of them fairly fast. If you're interested in being organic, beware of the similar-sounding pyrethroids, which are synthetic and are not healthy in some respects.

I don't know anything about white flies, but they should be trembling in their boots!

Christine

July 15, 2011	#1
platys Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2010 Location: Naperville, IL Posts: 176	I will take you down, white flies. Last year, most of the second half of my tomato season was lost to the evil white fly. Well, they are back this year, even though I moved my plants - what's funny is that they are all over the plants in the new potting mix - not in the old potting mix. I did release some lacewing eggs, but I'm thinking it won't be enough. So I ordered some Neem. One of my users (I work with a lot of folks in biology and ecology) told me Neem blows all the other organic methods out of the water and will work great with white flies. I did read that sticky traps will work, but they seem expensive, and since they are outside, they'll get clogged with everything.

July 15, 2011	#3
mdvpc Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 4,386	You can make your own sticky traps by using yellow stiff cardboard and putting petroleum jelly on them, or buying the sticky stuff in a can. __________________ Michael

July 15, 2011	#2
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Good luck you are going to need it. Whiteflies are one of the most persistent pests to deal with. Some years they are really bad and other years not so much. In years when they are bad it is nearly impossible to control them. I found through trial and error that it is best to alternate the type of sprays used on them for the best results. It seems that when you use just one thing they become nearly immune to its' effects very quickly. If you can spray every 3 days for a couple of weeks with alternating insecticides you can get them to a manageable level. The things that worked the best for me were malthion, pyrethrem, pyrethrin, neem oil, dormant oil spray, tobacco juice, peppermint oil, clove oil, and strong soap solutions added to every spray. You also must spray the undersides of the leaves and the ground under the plants for any of them to be effective.

July 20, 2011	#4
platys Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2010 Location: Naperville, IL Posts: 176	I'm totally going to try that sticky trap trick. hopefully I won't cover myself in petroleum jelly at the same time. The white flies seem to have been beaten back a bit by the heat. The aphids are still coming on strong, despite the lacewing larva. My Neem finally showed up, so I'm planning on spraying tonight. I know insecticidal soap is bad for leaves when its super hot out, but is neem the same way?

July 20, 2011	#5
bcday Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NY z5 Posts: 1,205	I tried putting petroleum jelly on 6"x6" sheets of stiff yellow plastic. I caught quite a few aphids but very few whiteflies. And even at that the aphids I saw on the plants (through the clouds of whiteflies) still vastly outnumbered the aphids that were caught by the traps. I gave up on yellow sticky traps and went back to spraying soapy water.

July 22, 2011	#6
cdbva Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Falls Church, VA Posts: 538	Your title made me laugh, Platys! Someone has said that aphids take a while to get rid of because the eggs keep on hatching for a few weeks. I had them bad back in May. Espoma Insect Control, whose main ingredient is pyrethrins, which are made of chrysanthemums, took care of them fairly fast. If you're interested in being organic, beware of the similar-sounding pyrethroids, which are synthetic and are not healthy in some respects. I don't know anything about white flies, but they should be trembling in their boots! Christine