Whitefly on tomatoes - signs of infection. The most effective methods of control and prevention! How to get rid of whitefly on tomatoes Whitefly in a greenhouse with tomatoes how to deal

Whitefly is quite common in horticultural crops and causes great harm to the crop. It is a species of midge that resembles a tiny moth. white... Its size is only 1-2 mm in length, and the wings are covered with a white coating that resembles powder. These insects multiply rapidly, one female can lay up to 250 eggs on tomatoes. The larvae have the appearance of yellowish-transparent scales. They attach to the back of the plant's leaves and absorb their juices, sucking out all the useful substances along with them, as a result, over time, the leaves become colorless or darken, wither and fall off, and later the plant may die.

There are two types of these pests: greenhouse and indoor. lives mainly in warm climates, prefers to live in vegetable greenhouses and affects peppers, cucumbers, watermelons, melons, lettuce, celery and some flowers. In total, her diet includes up to 300 plant species. But her favorite delicacy is tomatoes. If you find the activity of these pests in your greenhouse, urgently start taking measures to destroy them, which is why it is so important to know on tomatoes in the greenhouse. Otherwise, the pests will destroy the tomatoes, move to the bushes of other crops and can cause irreparable damage.

Important! When the whitefly sucks the sap from the plants, the excess comes out and remains on the leaves in shiny sticky trickles. It is a favorable environment for fungal infections to occur. Adult insects are also carriers of viruses.

Whitefly life cycle

It is important to know how these spiders reproduce and develop in order to deal with them competently and effectively. Often, many summer residents make every effort to destroy adult insects when many larvae have already been laid. Let's consider this insect in more detail. Whitefly looks very similar to aphids, only, unlike aphids, it is white. She lives in groups on the underside of plant leaves, and lays her eggs there.

The larvae hatch quickly and start looking for food on their own. It is this moment that should not be missed in the fight against this pest. As soon as the larvae pupate, no remedy will take them, since their body is enveloped in a dense waxy coating. That is, this insect's cocoon is practically impenetrable. And if young individuals appear from the pupae, the harvest is over, because the bodies of young whiteflies are also covered with wax, so it is very difficult to exterminate them, and the cycle will repeat.

Signs of pest infestation

Greenhouses, greenhouses and greenhouses are ideal places for the reproduction and life of the whitefly. She prefers a warm climate and high humidity. It is transmitted mainly through infected plants and from planting material... Before you start fighting whitefly in a tomato greenhouse, it is important to make sure that this particular insect is attacking your crop. The following characteristic signs indicate the presence of a whitefly:

white midges, similar to small moths and flying over tomato plantings;
if you shake the plant bush a little, a white cloud of insects will appear;
translucent and barely noticeable scales are glued to the bottom of the sheet;
sticky and shiny coating on the leaves of vegetable crops;
many dark spots on plants arising from their infection with a sooty fungus, which is a frequent companion of the whitefly;
infected plants are lagging behind in development and growth;
white dots on the leaves of plants, later the leaves fade, turn yellow and curl;
necrosis develops on the fruits, the pulp becomes white.

If you see several of these signs in your greenhouse, it means that your vegetable crops are infested with dangerous pests. Fighting whitefly on tomatoes is a matter of time and your patience. There are many different ways struggle, the main thing is not to miss the moment.

Important! The most productive time to kill the whitefly is when the butterflies have appeared and the larvae have not yet been found on the tomatoes.

Fighting whitefly in a greenhouse on tomatoes

First, you need to eliminate adult insects that participate in the reproduction process. The following methods are suitable here:

Washing the leaves. Before this procedure, if there are not very many plants, you can collect the whitefly by hand. Then treat the bushes with soapy water and rinse with water.
Knock insects off plants with a jet of water.

The advantages of these two methods are that in addition to insects, sticky plaque and soot fungus are removed from the crops, it becomes easier for plants to breathe after water procedures.

Other methods include:

The use of Velcro is common and effective method fight against whitefly. For self-made you need to take yellow cardboard and grease its surface well with petroleum jelly. Insects are attracted to the bright color, and they stick to the trap, when a lot of them stick, the petroleum jelly can be wiped off and spread on a new layer.
Heat the rosin in a water bath, add castor oil and honey, apply the mixture to yellow or blue cardboard or plywood and spread throughout the greenhouse;
Treat tomato bushes with an anti-scab emulsion purchased from a pharmacy. It is necessary to make a solution at the rate of 50 grams of emulsion per liter of water and process the tomato bushes well;
Using yarrow herb can help you save an entire vegetable garden. To prepare it, you need to grind 80 grams of grass, pour a liter of boiling water and insist in a dark place for a day. Then wipe the leaves of infected plants with this solution;
Garlic tincture - finely chop 10 grams of garlic and pour in two liters of water, leave for 24 hours in a cool dark place, and then spray the tomatoes with this solution.
Use this trap: take a few pieces of brightly colored plastic and smear them with entomological glue. Attach the backlight to the plastic and hang the traps so that they are flush with the tops of the plants, many insects will flock and stick to the bright light and color.

Using Predatory Insects to Control Whitefly

To get rid of whitefly in a greenhouse on tomatoes, you can settle insects that feed on midges and their larvae:

Attention! During the fight against whitefly, using encarzium pupae, chemical agents cannot be used in the greenhouse.

Macrolophus bug. Shows high efficiency in the fight against whiteflies and their larvae in greenhouses with tomatoes. For 1 square meter, five individuals are enough. After two weeks, it is necessary to repeat the connection.

Ladybug - quickly eats the whitefly. To attract them to the greenhouse, you can plant the following plants: alyssum, daisies, marigolds, tansy, yarrow.

Use of chemicals

In advanced cases, it is necessary to apply radical methods of pest control and use chemicals. They need to process not only infected tomatoes, but also nearby plants. Today in specialized stores it is possible to buy different drugs: actellic, confidor, pegasus, verticillin, fufanon, etc. In the instructions attached to each of them, you can learn about how to work with poison. Processing must be carried out several times until the insects are completely exterminated. Remember the toxicity of these drugs and be sure to use personal protective equipment when processing: gloves, mask, protective clothing.

Advice! When treating with insecticides, add crushed laundry soap or shampoo to them. The products will stick better to the leaves.

The appearance of whitefly on tomatoes is easier to prevent than to eliminate later. To do this, in the fall, you need to burn the tops, dig up the soil in order to raise the larvae to the surface, and in winter they will die from cold temperatures. Remove the cover from the greenhouse or disinfect, rinse the frame with bleach. Control the climate inside the greenhouse and ventilate it regularly. With careful crop care, you are sure to be rewarded with healthy bushes and a rich harvest!

In order to successfully fight, you need to know its appearance, and, accordingly, what kind of tomatoes are affected by this midge.

Whitefly is a miniature moth with four wings covered with a white bloom, size - only 1.8 - 2 mm. By outward appearance whiteflies are very similar to moths, but despite such similarities, they are closer to aphids.

These pests are characterized by a complex development cycle, which consists of 3 parts. The first cycle is eggs. Second, a whitefly larva appears. It is attached to the leaves of tomatoes, with the help of wax secretions, which are produced by special glands. whitefly... The third stage is molting. The very last stage of development involves the transformation of the larva into an adult whitefly.

Having completely turned into an adult insect, it becomes one of the most important enemies of greenhouses, because it multiplies quickly enough. For a short time, several small midges turn into a large colony that can lead to the death of the tomato crop.

In addition, it should be added that first of all, you need to fight with eggs and larvae. If the larva has turned into an immobile pupa, it will not be so easy to destroy it. During this period, the individual is protected by a shell, just like the adult one - it protects itself with the help of a wax coating, which is all over the body and wings. A greenhouse whitefly often settles on tomatoes.

These pests usually sit on the bottom of the leaf, on the surface of which a sticky shiny honeydew is formed, which is the excrement of an insect (a sure sign of the presence of a whitefly on tomatoes).

Harm to tomatoes

More harm from honeydew produced by whitefly. Over time, it becomes a good breeding ground for pathogenic fungi, in particular - black black. Affected leaves on tomatoes first turn white, later turn black. As a result, the fruits lose their attractiveness, and the plant itself soon dies.

Whitefly, at all stages of its development, is an excellent carrier of most infections and diseases of tomatoes. The list of diseases includes: leaf curl, chlorosis, yellow mosaics, jaundice, deformation of shoots, leaves, fruit necrosis.

In some cases, the growth of shoots stops.

Tomatoes affected by fungal diseases are thrown away, the ground near the dead plant is disinfected. It is recommended to burn the tops of seedlings affected by whitefly.

Ways to fight

You can get rid of whitefly using the most different ways... Distinguish between folk, biological and chemical methods.

The biological method deserves special attention in the destruction of the whitefly. These are very simple measures, thanks to which you can quickly exterminate it. The method does not include the use of chemicals, but is built only on the introduction of other representatives of bugs into greenhouses (in the environment of the enemies of the whitefly).

It should be added that with any biological method of combating whitefly, greenhouses cannot be pretreated with chemistry.

It is worth adding to everything that really nice results are achieved if you fight in a complex immediately against the larvae and adult moths.

Traditional methods

Not every gardener wants to resort to using chemicals, so folk methods are also common that help to effectively deal with the whitefly. Among the most effective ones that make it possible to destroy the whitefly both outdoors, indoors, and in greenhouses, one can distinguish:

Glue-based traps - sticky fly tapes are good for this, but it's best to make your own. To do this, you need plastic or a piece of fiberboard. The surface is painted in yellow(the whitefly is not indifferent to these shades). After drying, it is liberally lubricated with petroleum jelly, castor oil or rosin with honey. The trap is then left near whitefly-infected tomatoes. Noticing an attractive shade of an object, whiteflies sit on the bait and stick. When whitefly a lot will collect on the surface, the trap is wiped off, and then smeared again. In a greenhouse, you need to hang such boards around the entire perimeter (approximately 30x30 cm from each other). This will help get rid of adult midges;

Garlic tincture - 150 g of garlic, cut into small pieces and filled with 1 liter of water. This substance against whitefly is infused for 5 days. After this time, we receive a concentrate, which is diluted at the rate of 6 g per 1 liter of water;

Whitefly herbal infusion - for cooking, you need 40 g of leaves and the same amount of dandelion root. The ingredients are crushed and placed in a container with water (1L). After a few days, the solution is filtered with gauze. The field of such simple actions, the tool is completely ready for use. Spraying from whitefly is done every 2 weeks;

Spraying tomato leaves with water from a hose - although it helps to eliminate the whitefly for a while, if there are a lot of insects, this will not help.

All methods show themselves well if there are not too many whiteflies. When whiteflies are on a whole colony of tomatoes, such methods will not give the maximum effect.

Preparations used to destroy the pest

It so happens that the moment is missed and the whitefly managed to breed. Fighting with folk and biological methods is no longer advisable. You can't get rid of it quickly. In this case, the only way out is insecticides. Using them, even in critical situations, we get rid of adversity.

Among the huge number of drugs on the shelves of agrochemical stores, there are a number of really effective tools that will help protect tomatoes in the greenhouse:

Aktelik is a product designed to fight not only the whitefly, but also many other insects. The solution contained in the ampoule will make it possible to get rid of pests in the greenhouse on tomatoes, in just a few applications. It is diluted in 1 liter of water. The number of treatments should not exceed 4. The waiting period is 3 days;

Pegasus - the drug has shown itself well in the fight against whitefly on tomatoes. It is diluted in 1 liter of water - 2 ml. Get rid of insects after 2 treatments, with a 10-day break;

Verticillin - tomatoes are sprayed in the greenhouse 2 times. Usually, this is enough to successfully fight the insect;

Confidor - the whitefly is destroyed after the first spraying. After 3-4 days, you can see a positive result. Entering the greenhouse after processing, it is impossible to stay there for a long time.

When spraying in a greenhouse, you must follow the precautions indicated in the instructions for the preparation and in no case exceed the dosage.

Preventive measures

Observing such simple preventive measures in the fight against whitefly, we can quite easily remove the root cause of the appearance of these annoying insects that annoy us, once appearing on tomatoes in a greenhouse.

One of the most insidious garden pests is the whitefly. This small insect, which does not exceed 2.5 mm in length, is distinguished by its exceptional reproductive ability. Gluttonous insects are able to completely destroy cultivated plants growing in greenhouses.

And if the thermophilic whitefly needs enough to exist in the open air heat environment, then in greenhouses and hotbeds it can exist year-round, causing irreparable harm to greenhouse plants.

Of the one and a half thousand species of insects of the Aleurodid family, the greenhouse whitefly is a particular danger to agricultural crops. The homeland of this malicious moth is South America. This explains the special "love" of whiteflies for hotbeds and greenhouses, where a warm and humid climate is maintained.

In one calendar year, the whitefly is capable of giving 15 generations. When the air temperature drops to 10-12 degrees, the pest's ability to reproduce decreases, but the butterfly calmly waits out in cold weather. top layer soil or in the remains of plants.

Whitefly growth stages

The complete transformation of the pest from an egg into a sexually mature individual occurs in 25-40 days. The more favorable the conditions for the existence of a butterfly - humid air and room temperature - the faster the whitefly "matures". Life cycle whiteflies are four "ages" in each of which the butterfly harms orchard and horticultural crops.

Vagabond larva - hatches 11-12 days after laying eggs. Size 0.25-0.3 mm, intensively spreads over the surface of the leaves in search of the most auspicious place a habitat.
Nymph larva - after 5-6 days, it tightly attaches to the seamy side of the plant leaves. By piercing the leaf, the nymph provides itself with nourishment from the foliage sap and remains completely immobile until the next stage of growth is reached. It is visually determined with difficulty, looks like a thin flake of a greenish tint. During its existence, it is covered with a waxy secret, which makes it invulnerable to insecticides.
Pupa - the final stage of whitefly development, lasts from 7 to 30 days.
Formation of an adult (adult whitefly), ready to devour the plant.

An adult female whitefly lives for about 30 days, during this period she is able to lay up to 140 eggs. For this reason, often one greenhouse plant can become a refuge for a harmful butterfly at all stages of development - from egg colonies to hundreds of adult moths.

In the absence of timely processing, the plant is doomed to quick death - the larvae deprive it of its vitality by drinking the juice, and the adults eat the fleshy part in a matter of days. In addition to being a direct threat, the whitefly carries many viruses. The larvae, on the other hand, produce a sugary substance, which is a beneficial habitat for fungi. Very often in greenhouses where whitefly is common, plants are affected by niello, a type of sooty fungus.

How to recognize a whitefly lesion

Whitefly infection is not easy to detect initially. This is due to the fact that the insect nests mainly on the seamy side of the leaves, and its larvae are so small that they resemble small scales.

One of characteristic features the fact that a plant is affected by a whitefly is the appearance of whitish or yellow spots with blurred boundaries. Plants take on an unhealthy depressed look, on the inside of the leaf you can see light tubercles - places of accumulation of second instar larvae.

When examining the leaves, their deformation, twisting is noted. After a short time, the affected leaves turn yellow and die off.

Discharge of larvae cover the plant sticky bloom that is easily detected when touched. This plaque clogs the pores of the leaves, interferes with natural photosynthesis and normal plant development. If black velvety spots are found on the leaves, then speech already underway about a concomitant disease - a sooty fungus that is carried by whiteflies.

If any of the listed signs of an unhealthy plant appear, urgent measures should be taken to save the crop.

How to deal with a greenhouse whitefly

The peculiarities of the development of the whitefly make the fight against it quite difficult. To preserve greenhouse crops, a set of measures should be carried out, including mandatory preventive work.

Greenhouse (greenhouse) processing

The indispensable treatment of greenhouses immediately after harvest helps to reduce the risk of the spread of agricultural pests.

Such prevention includes:

complete removal plant residues and garbage with subsequent incineration;
applying a bleach solution to the frame structure;

Bleach prices

bleaching powder

removal of the transparent greenhouse cover for the whole winter period(if it is impossible to completely remove the cover part due to design features, then the top of the greenhouse should be removed);

treatment of non-removable parts of the greenhouse (glass, polycarbonate inserts) with an antiseptic solution (bleach);

digging greenhouse soil before winter.

Keep in mind! It is extremely inappropriate to install a compost container in the greenhouse - when plant residues decompose, a beneficial environment for garden pests is formed.

Mechanical removal of whitefly

The simplest and most environmentally friendly method of fighting whitefly is the mechanical removal of moths, egg colonies and pest larvae from the leaves. This can be done either by hand or by washing the plants from watering hose... After the adults are knocked down, you should wipe each sheet from the front and back side with a solution of laundry or green soap.

With a large population of greenhouses with whitefly, the treatment of plantings with a household vacuum cleaner is effective - this way you can remove a significant part of flying insects.

The disadvantage of this method of destroying the whitefly is the laboriousness and lack of guaranteed result... Part of the pests after mechanical treatment will remain and continue to destroy plants.

Traps

A kind of mechanical removal of insects is the use of special traps. They are plates painted in bright colors (yellow, orange or piercing blue) and covered with an adhesive layer.

To make a trap yourself, you can take a solid base (hardboard, plywood, thick cardboard) and cover it with blue or yellow paint. These colors are the most attractive for harmful insects, therefore, the effectiveness of glue traps for getting rid of the adult whitefly is quite high.

The painted base must be covered with an adhesive, which is prepared as follows:

mix castor oil, rosin and petroleum jelly in a metal container;
heat the rosin in a water bath to liquid state, add castor oil, petroleum jelly and honey taken in equal parts;
stir until smooth and cool.

Whitefly Trap Prices

whitefly trap

After applying the adhesive to the surface of the base, the trap is ready for use.

Important! To make an "eternal" trap, it is preferable to take plywood or plexiglass as a base. Such a device can be used many times - it is enough to remove adhered butterflies and wash the trap with warm water and soap.

To increase the efficiency of traps, they must be placed at the rate of 1 unit per 10 square meters. m of the area of the greenhouse (greenhouse).

Biological way to get rid of whitefly

The use of natural antagonists of the whitefly is common as a safe alternative to the use of insecticides. This is a familiar ladybug or a well-known lacewing polyphage. Beneficial insects help fight off whitefly larvae.

Encarsia - Encarsia formosa

For greenhouse tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, the macrolophus predatory bug is ideal. The average lifespan of a female of this bug is 30-40 days, during which time she destroys more than 2.5 thousand larvae of the harmful whitefly.

Macrolophus - Macrolophus nubilus

Keep in mind! To ensure that the greenhouse gets rid of the whitefly invasion, 4-5 macrolophus should be released per 1 sq. m of protected ground. As a preventive measure, it is enough to run 1 bug per square meter.

Plants and herbal infusions can act as biological assistants in the fight against whitefly. Tansy planted in the greenhouse acts as a protective agent.

The following herbs can be used to process vegetables:

yarrow - grind 80-100 g of leaves, pour water (1 l), leave for 48 hours;
dandelion - cut 40 g of roots and leaves and pour water (1 l), infusion time - 2-3 days;
garlic (1 head) is crushed and poured into 0.5 liters of water, infused for 6-7 days, then diluted at a concentration of 1 tsp. (5 g) infusion for 1 liter of water.

The prepared herbal infusions are used for spraying greenhouse crops at intervals of two weeks.

Insecticidal (chemical) method for the destruction of whitefly

The use of chemical poisons is an undesirable option for the destruction of harmful insects. It makes sense to resort to it in cases where a significant infection with a whitefly is found and biological or mechanical methods of getting rid of it do not help.

For chemical treatment of plants, it is necessary to take those insecticides that are recommended for home use. Cover vegetable crops as a precaution before processing. insulating material(for example, polyethylene) to avoid poisoning of plants.

Attention! Vegetables that are eaten without intensive heat treatment (cucumbers, herbs, tomatoes, peppers) cannot be treated with insecticides, since it is impossible to remove the remains of the poison by simple washing.

Table. Effective drugs to combat whitefly in a greenhouse.

Name	Action	Application
	Plant protection for up to 28 days, the death of insects is observed one day after application. When the drug is introduced into the soil, the protection period is up to 60 days.	Spraying with a solution at the rate of 2 liters / 100 sq. m area. Watering the soil under the plants (repeatedly) - 10 liters of solution per 10 sq. m area.
	Protection of plants in greenhouses - up to 12 days, the drug penetrates into the foliage tissue, causing a paralytic effect on pests.	Single spraying 30 days before harvest.
	It affects larvae and adults, it is safe for plants.	Spraying at the rate of 2 tablets / 10 l of water. Maximum amount treatments - 3 per season.
	Protection for up to 21 days, effective against larvae and adult butterflies.	Single spraying upon detection of whitefly, solution concentration - 0.05%.

Prices for "Intavir"

In a series of insecticides, there are hormonal drugs that affect whitefly larvae, which do not have a visible harmful effects on adults. However, when an insect enters the body, the hormonal pesticide causes a kind of sterilization of the female whitefly, depriving her of her ability to reproduce. The drug Admiral has proven itself excellently, which requires no more than two treatments to achieve a guaranteed result.

Admiral is a synthetic analogue of a juvenile hormone that disrupts the growth and development of harmful insects

Fighting whitefly in a greenhouse requires a lot of effort from a gardener or gardener. In order not to lose the harvest, you should be attentive to the plants, inspect them for the first signs of pests. To prevent infection, it is advisable to fumigate the greenhouse with sulfur smoke bombs - after such treatment, the whitefly problem will not arise.

Small butterfly, can cause serious harm vegetable crops, we land on 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 that, they are not immune from its invasion up to 300 different types other crops.

Whitefly characteristic

There are 2 types of such insects: indoor and greenhouse. The latter live in greenhouses. They like humid and warm air. Primary infection occurs with the planting material, or through already infected plants.

Small in size (up to 3 mm) whitefly, similar to garden aphids, 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 appearance of a new generation of insects again comes, the process of combating them may fail.

After micro destruction of the 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 a fungal infection. On the leaves of tomatoes, at first there are places of silvery plaque, but over time, sooty mushrooms resembling dark spots form 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 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 become whitish and stop ripening.

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. In addition, the adults themselves are not as dangerous as their newly hatched young. Therefore, the fight against whitefly on tomatoes should begin at the time of the appearance of flying midges, but before the time when they lay their eggs. To eliminate these pests, we get rid of in several ways.

With the help of chemicals

Infected plants are sprayed with insecticides, which can be purchased at gardening stores. Such agents act on tomato pests through plants, after the poison is absorbed into the stems and leaves of the bushes. Therefore, it is necessary to select 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 foliage surface 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 wipe off 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, apply it to a dense surface. bright color and exhibited in the greenhouse between rows.

Biological way

Also, in the greenhouse, cardboard boxes with pupae placed in them are hung between the rows of tomatoes.

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 Markofolus should be repeated.

Folk wrestling techniques

These methods of struggle have the safest effect on the human body. But they have to be carried out in the greenhouse several times in order to cope with the pest.

Cold air turns out to be fatal for insects. Before getting rid of the whitefly in the greenhouse on tomatoes, if possible, the seedlings are taken out for a while in the open air. 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, the soap is dissolved in hot water, based on 1 part of soap for 6 parts of 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 underside.

Can process tomatoes pharmacy remedy from scabies. It is bred in water and sprayed with plants.
Preventive actions
If you take measures to prevent the appearance of whitefly on tomatoes, then you may not need other methods to cope with the invasion of insects. Early metal constructions should be painted. The land must be carefully cleaned and freed from last year's vegetation.
Purchased tomato seedlings are carefully checked for the possibility of insect infestation. After disembarkation, you should consider mandatory procedure airing the greenhouse, and the temperature inside the greenhouse should not exceed +15 degrees.

Reading time: 5 min

In mid-latitudes, it most often affects greenhouses, hotbeds and greenhouses where tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers and green crops are grown, flowers, also often harms indoor plants... What is the danger of whitefly on tomatoes, how to protect the crop when this pest appears and what kind of prevention exists - in detail in our article.

Description of the pest

Greenhouse whitefly - a species native to the tropics, polyphagous, the optimum breeding temperature is + 20-27 degrees, it does not tolerate winter. The moth is a moth-like insect, no more than 1.5 mm long, with a pale yellow body and white translucent wings. The lifespan is up to 30 days.

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One female can lay up to 130 eggs, placing them in rings of 12-20 eggs on the lower part of the leaves. The eggs are small, elongated, pale green, attached to the leaf by the proboscis. As it matures, the shell darkens. The larvae go through 4 stages. In the first two stages, the larvae move, sucking the juices from the leaves; in the third and fourth stages, the larva is immobile, but very voracious. It takes 8-10 days to reach the adult stage.

At positive temperatures and humidity of at least 62%, the number of whitefly regenerations is unlimited, therefore in greenhouses it develops on a catastrophic scale in just two weeks, occupying the plant with larvae from top to bottom.

One more thing should also be taken into account - it is not the moths themselves that are terrible for tomatoes, but especially their motionless larvae. They highlight a large number of sugary secretions, on which a black sooty fungus immediately develops, due to which the leaves dry out. Plants begin to lag behind in growth, the color crumbles, the yield and fruit size decrease. If the pest is not removed from the greenhouse, the plants die after 1-2 weeks.

Symptoms of tomato whitefly damage:

The presence of white small moths on the leaves, if you shake the bush, they fly up.
Curled and curled leaves, young shoots grow deformed.
On the underside of the leaf plate there are rings of small greenish eggs.
Small white moving larvae with antennae, or motionless, with a proboscis.
Sprinkling of flowers and ovaries.
The appearance of a yellow mosaic on the leaves due to thinning.
Black, less often white dotted bloom, which turns into mold spots.

What should be done

If even a single whitefly is found on tomatoes, measures should be taken immediately, using all known control methods - from biological to harsh chemistry. With a massive infection of greenhouses and greenhouses, the only remedy for whitefly is the removal and burning of all affected plants, followed by treatment with an antiseptic of all structures.

We will describe all the existing methods for the destruction of whitefly in a greenhouse. The safest are mechanical and biological methods. But first, you can try just opening the greenhouse on a cool night - this may be enough for the moths to die.

The second simple way when insects appear is to spray the tomato bushes with a stream of cool water under pressure. All moths will be washed into the soil, which must be loosened immediately. It is important to provide good ventilation for the plants to dry quickly.

Mechanical method from whitefly

This method is effective only against adults, as well as other insect pests, and only with minor plant infestation. It consists in the use of special traps, lubricated with sticky substances attractive to insects. These ready-made traps are sold in specialized stores. Or you can make a trap yourself:

take sheets of cardboard or thick paper that is bright yellow or orange;
using a regular school brush, apply regular pharmacy petroleum jelly on one side (or two);
fasten the sheets vertically and at an angle in the greenhouse, can be hung on laces.

Within a day, the traps are covered with insects. They must be wiped off with a rag, and the sheet must be re-greased with petroleum jelly. You can also use castor or burdock oil, honey.

Whitefly traps in a greenhouse can also be made on the basis of a soap solution or a pharmacy emulsion for scabies. On the same principle, you can

There is another common method of dealing with whiteflies when a pest first appears. It is usually used on tomato seedlings. You need to grate the laundry soap and mix with hot water in a ratio of 1: 6. The emulsion should be diluted as follows: 50 ml per 1 liter of warm water. When the solution cools down, strain it and spray the bushes from above and below.

This composition immobilizes both moths and larvae, envelops them and makes breathing difficult. Insects and larvae die. The processing of tomato seedlings should be carried out several times at intervals of a week.

Biological control methods

These are the wasps Erythmocerus and Encarsia, they are produced at the rate of 3 pieces per 1 sq. M. greenhouses with an interval of 10 days. You can also get rid of the whitefly in the greenhouse by releasing the predatory bug Macrofolus - 5 individuals per square meter. 2-3 times every 2 weeks. Such insects can be bought in specialized centers and used as a prophylaxis.

Of the local insects, it is worth luring ladybirds, horse riders and lacewings into greenhouses, the only problem is that they are difficult to find. But if dill and fennel are grown between tomatoes, they attract beneficial insects with their smell.

Traditional methods

Such means of processing tomatoes from whitefly are not very effective, but they allow you to get rid of insects in the greenhouse, while there are few of them. Most affordable:

Prepare a decoction of yarrow by steaming 100 g of plant leaves in 1 liter of boiling water. Insist for a day in a dark place, strain and process the plants.
Garlic infusion - traditional folk remedy from whitefly on tomatoes. Pour 50 g of chopped chives with two liters of warm water, process after a day of infusion.
Dandelion root infusion is also an effective remedy. You need to dig out 100 g of roots, chop them and pour 1 liter of water. After a day, strain and spray the bushes on top and bottom of the leaves.

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