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Tennessee Gardening

White flies in veggies

17 years ago

I normally have white flies in my veggie garden this time of year. But I have absolute swarms of them at present. The undersides of my squash leaves are litterally white with them. If you touch a tomato plant they come up in such numbers that you have to cover your mouth and nose with a cloth so you can breathe. They are also in many of my ornamentals, but not quite so thick. I have used horticultural oil, NEEM and rotenone/pyrethrin and even painted stp oil treatment on yellow solo cups to trap them. I don't want to get any more toxic than I have done, at least not on my veggies. I would rather just end my garden for the year than do that.

Has anyone had such an infestation of them? If so what did you do? Has anyone found this to be an especially bad year for them? What can I do? (except cry which is what I am planning to do next! ;-)

Any advice would be appreciated!

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Comments (2)

katzswoman
17 years ago
Don't feel bad garden grace they are all over my gardenias and I can't seem to get rid of them to save my soul. I have animals and cant use toxic stuff I would love to have some advice too.
Martha
fernzilla
17 years ago
Really that bad? I usually have swarms of Whiteflies
so bad in the front. it's embarrasing when someone walks up to the front door. I noticed they had eggs laid all under my Hollys in front. The Hollys were very old and ugly. I cut them down and put out on the street. This Summer I
did't see hardly any. I have heard they usually find a host plant and gravitate towards that. They are particularly fond of Privet (Yuck I don't know why Lol). I was thinking
because of the really hot and dry Summer perhaps not many eggs hatched.
Anyway back to your original question. It is rather late in the year for this, but next Spring you can try. Purchase a box of ladybugs. You can get online for about 12.00 for 1500 or so. Spray your plants that are having the problems with Whiteflies. so they are damp and release the Lady bugs.
They will stay where is damp and plenty of food is present.
They will lay eggs, and the lady bug larva (which look like tiny little gila monsters) will devour the whitefly larva
before they can mature. Another trick(providing you don't have pets) is use the old fashioned kind of snail and slug
bait. The Whitefly larva love it and eat it, then die before they can mature. I hope this is helpful.
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