Tenerife forum

[karlb]

We have some tiny white flys coming out from one of our plants. If you knock the plant loads more come out.

Are they good for the plant or do I need to spray them with something.

Thanks for any help.


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[DaveR]

They are best sparyed Karl. Segundo was trimming the plants in the borders a couple of days ago and 1000's of them flew off. A lot came onto our plants too. I think they are a type of moth but not sure. Soapy water should be enough to clear them.

[rob]

Spray upwards on the underneath of the leaves as dave said with soapy water or if they persist a mild water and disinfectant mix.
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[karlb]

Thanks for that both of you. One more question are they harmful to the plants or just an annoyance to me?

The soapy detergent I take it will have no adverse effect on my plants that I am growing with tender loving care?
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[DaveR]

The soap wont do the plants any harm so long as you dont spray them in direct sunlight or it may burn them.

The insects will harm your plants though if they are allowed to multiply.

[karlb]

Going to ask a really stupid question here Dave, does the soapy water kill the flies or is it just a repellent.

Cannot see how soapy water kills them thats all.

Cheers.
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[rob]

Eggs are laid and immature stages of whitefly develop on the undersides of leaves on most crops. Adults congregate on younger leaves in most crops and oviposition is heaviest on these leaves. The location on the plant of the various stages of the whitefly follows the development of the plant. Eggs and early instar nymphs are found on the young leaves and larger nymphs are usually more numerous on older leaves.

ADULT INFESTATION. Adults congregate, feed, and mate on the undersurfaces of the leaves of the host plant. This can occur in such numbers as to create "clouds" when disturbed. They appear to be more active during the sunny daylight periods, and do not fly as readily during early morning, late evening, or night hours.

NYMPHAL INFESTATION. The nymphal stages are sedentary, with the exception of the crawler, which after hatching moves a very short distance. Once a feeding site is selected the nymphs do not move. They suck juices from the plant with their piercing-sucking mouthparts. The nymphs are located on the undersides of the leaves and can become so numerous that they almost cover the entire undersurface area.

Direct crop damage occurs when whiteflies feed in plant phloem, remove plant sap and reduce plant vigor. With high populations plants may die. Whiteflies also excrete honeydew, which promotes sooty mold that interferes with photosynthesis and may lower harvest quality. In cotton, the sugars excreted during whitefly feeding make the cotton fibers sticky and can promote growth of sooty mold, both of which reduce quality. In some hosts, damage can result from whitefly feeding toxins that cause plant disorders such as silver leaf of squash and irregular ripening of tomato. Plant viruses also can be transmitted by whiteflies, such as the geminiviruses in tomatoes, peppers and cabbage, and certain clostroviruses like lettuce infectious yellows in lettuce and melons. Plant disorders and virus transmission are of particular concern because they can occur even when a whitefly population is small. In general, the older the plant when infected with virus or the later the onset of plant disorders, the less damage to the crop, so preventative action is critical. Prevention is also crucial in managing whiteflies in highly cosmetic crops such as ornamental plants, where even low numbers of whiteflies can affect marketability.



Whitefly management in a given crop will depend greatly on the severity of damage caused in that crop and the number of whiteflies required to inflict this damage. Very few whiteflies are required to transmit viruses, so where this is the major concern, the grower will want to avoid even small numbers of whiteflies. A combination of selected cultural practices, intensive chemical treatments or physical controls, and / or the development of host plant resistance, may be most effective. Where low levels of whiteflies are tolerable, other methods such as biological control can be more effective.
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[karlb]

Perfect thanks Rob. Will get onto this first thing in the morning before more damage is done.

If its not me killing my plants its whitefly. I am so unlucky with plants.


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[DaveR]

Thanks for the info Rob.

I was confusing the white fly with those tiny with moths you see Hatching (if that is the right word) from the trees around town from time to time. Not sure what they are but they appear from trees in clouds sometimes.

Karl yes the soapy water will kill whitefly.

[karlb]

Thanks Dave.

Have you done your plants yet?


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[rob]

There is a possibility that treating a resistant whitefly population with certain insecticides could actually accelerate population growth. This could be because more eggs are laid when the insect is under biochemical stress, or because beneficial arthropods are eliminated. To minimize this potential problem, insecticide applications should be used judiciously and combined with non-chemical control tactics. Furthermore, distinct classes of chemical compounds should be rotated at least every other spray. Distinct classes of insecticide include the pyrethroids (Ambush, Asana, Danitol, Karate, etc.), organo-phosphates (Orthene, Monitor, Lorsban), carbamates (Vydate), chlorinated hydrocarbons (Thiodan), insect growth regulators (Applaud, fenoxicarb), oils, and soaps and detergents. Resistance to soaps and oils is unlikely to ever develop, so these materials should be used as much as possible.
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[rob]

There's no time like the present. The liquid will have more time to work during the night and the flies will more likely be 'at home'
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[karlb]

So a diluted trigger of washing up liquid should be fine then.

Thank again.

Edit:

Ok I am doing it now. Blooming flies.

I am worried now lol

So I should spray from the underneath. ok. From the top as well or not?

Cannot see how detergent is going to be any good for my plants but its better than being sucked dry.
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[DaveR]

Perfect time to do it Karl. Yes I did mine a couple of days ago when I first noticed them.

[xLisax]

Go get um, Karl!
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