WHITE FLY CONTROL

    This article is about WHITE FLY control.
It will explain why they are a pest and what
needs to be done for controlling infestations.
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   White Flies are small winged insects which look more like
moths than flies. They have a powdery wax which both protects
them and is key to identification. They are active in all
parts of the world and will thrive year round in the south
but go dormant during the winter in northern states. This
article will detail their growth cycle, explain why they
are such a hard pest to control and then list treatment
options which work. Though white flies can be a tough and
persistent pest, the right combination of materials combined
with the right timing of treatment can solve any infestation.
   White flies have two main species which are active in
the United States. The Citrus and the Greenhouse are most
commonly found but others exist. Citrus white flies are
found on just about any plant - not just fruit. Greenhouse
whiteflies are more prevalent in greenhouses though plants
which move to homes and gardens carrying active populations
will surely enable them to still live. Citrus whiteflies
are hardy and will be active year round; greenhouse whiteflies
are easier to control and will go dormant as winter sets
in around the country. Both species develop from eggs and
grow through a series of instars. The last instar is the
pupa stage during which young change to adults. 
   Adult whiteflies will lay eggs in less than a week once
they emerge. Eggs are very small; almost invisible. Eggs
will be laid on the underside of leaves, in hard to see
locations, in generally well protected parts of the plant.
Once the young emerge, they will immediately begin to
feed. Though their development can occur in less than a
month, a much longer development time frame is not uncommon.
Cycles can take as long as a year if conditions are not so
favorable. However, regardless of how long it takes them
to develop, damage will certainly be happening to any
host plant on which they reside.
   Whiteflies are a problem because they have piercing
mouth parts which allow them to such plant sap. This behavior
is what they do to feed and host plants are prone to many
problems during such feeding. There are many problems that
feeding whiteflies cause including:
1) Leaf damage. Feeding whiteflies will cause leaves to
turn up and brown, disabling them to perform their
responsibilities. Damaged leaves look bad and promote
decay fungus and bacteria to form.
2) Sap drainage. Whiteflies have an insatiable hunger for
plant sap and will suck as much of it as they can from
the host plant. Young host plants will not be able to
meet these demands and don't stand much of a chance to
survive; adult plants which loose vital sap are more
prone to disease, heat stress and less likely to rebound
from any environmental shock.
3) Whiteflies excrete honeydew which lures other nuisance
insects onto the host plant. These secondary insects
will feed off the honeydew and effectively farm it for
it's nutritional value but invariably they will become
established on the property or in nearby structures. This
secondary insect infestation is usually some type of ant,
wasp or beetle. Regardless, feeding whiteflies allow
such populations to thrive. Furthermore, the honeydew
goes bad and grows a mold known as Black Sooty. This mold
damages host plants preventing them from processing
food properly further contributing to the host plants
demise.
4) Whiteflies are unsightly when they populate any plant
and if prized landscaping gets infested it really looks
bad. Active whiteflies will buzz around host plants
throughout the day and are very noticeable. They are
annoying when active on fruit or flower producing stock
and can easily be brought into the home with anything
harvested off infested plants. 
5) Lastly, whiteflies are extremely prolific. Once
they get established on any plant around the home or
garden they will readily migrate and look to infest
any other nearby vegetation. Whiteflies don't discriminate;
they will move onto any plant that has healthy and 
abundant sap. It is not uncommon to have local populations
thrive on some field of weeds only to start migrating
into someone's prized roses!
   
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT GETTING WHITE FLIES ALTOGETHER...

   There is not a lot you can do to stop whiteflies from
finding any of your healthy roses, privets or other shrubs
on which they like to feed. If you are located in a region
which harbors whiteflies, be prepared to have some type
of local infestation on existing plant stock which will
need some attention. However, before you do, it is a great
idea to set out some WHITE FLY TRAPS. These are bright
yellow glue traps which white flies will readily be
drawn as they leave local colonies seeking new host
plants. These traps will serve you by catching these
foraging reproductives before they are able to settle
down and start feeding and egg laying. Furthermore, these
traps can serve as an alarm alerting you to activity
which may have begun to establish itself. It is recommended
that one be placed on any plant you wish to protect.
Inspect them no less than once a week and if activity is
found, be sure to start inspecting for any population
which may be started. These traps can last up to two months
unless they either fill up or the glue gets dried.

WHAT YOU CAN DO ONCE WHITE FLIES ARE ESTABLISHED....

   If you already have white flies active in your garden
or house plants, there are several materials which can
be used to keep them in check. Keep in mind that white
flies are persistent. They reproduce quickly, like to hide
on parts of the plant which makes the hard to reach
when spraying and have certain stages which are not
susceptible to chemical. For this reason it is important
to choose the chemical of treatment carefully. Here are
your options along with guidelines to get the most out
of any spraying program you decide to employ.
   The least toxic material that can be sprayed for
white flies is INSECTICIDAL SOAP. This material works
several ways. First, it prevents adults from flying
so they are not able to migrate to neighboring plants.
Secondly, it stops the colonies from laying more eggs.
Thirdly, it will suffocate some members of the colony
immediately decreasing activity following treatments.
Since it's so safe, you can spray any plant - including
fruits and vegetables - without any hazard to people or
pets that may be eating the harvest. However, treatments
won't last long and should be done at least once a
week when activity is present - sometimes more. This is
due to the whiteflies ability to come back quickly
and since eggs can hatch in a couple of days, cycles can
just about be completed in between treatments. The
best rule to follow if using this product is to treat
twice a week when you have activity and then once
a week once they're gone. Do this throughout the growing
season until you feel sure none are present and then
at that time rely on the Traps to alert you to when 
more have started feeding.
   If Insecticidal Soap has not proven effective and you
want to go to something a little stronger, there are
two other options available. These are true insecticides
and the one you choose will depend on what type of plant
you are treating. They come in either a dust or a liquid
form and the key with getting the desired result is based
on how good you are at treating the host plant. Since
white flies have a knack of avoiding direct applications,
it is critical that you get all surfaces of the plant
in order for any insecticide to work. To help insure proper
coverage, you may consider either PERMETHRIN DUST or
DELTAMETHRIN DUST. These are two products which are in a form
much like baby powder. They are applied with either a
HAND DUSTER or a DUSTIN MIZER. If you have small plants
to treat, the small Hand Duster will suffice. However,
the Dustin Mizer enables the applicator to reach a lot
of plants quickly. It's optional Deflector is really
handy since it will allow you to direct the dust in
an upwards direction. This insures you get good
coverage on the bottom sides of leaves without having
to break your back bending over. Use the Permethrin
for treating any garden type plant which is edible
or will produce fruits or vegetables. Use the Deltamethrin
Dust, which is slightly longer lasting, on any non-edible.
Both will work on other insects as well and neither
will hurt the plant. Dusts are the safest material
to use on plants overall, will last about the longest
and are easy to apply with the right tool. The only
drawback is that you will see some white residue where
you have treated. However, many people like being able
to see because it lets them know just where the dust
has settled so that they can be sure to get the
complete plant treated.
   The strongest option available is the use of some
concentrated insecticide. There are many available for
white flies but only a few work well. Two products which
still are very active are PERMETHRIN and BIFEN. Permethrin
is odorless and can be sprayed on any type of plant
including fruits and vegetables. Bifen is the latest
compound available and is very hot - only a little bit
is needed, it won't injure treated plants and it lasts
a long time. These products will quickly kill off adults
and several stages of developing larva. However, there
are several problems if you rely on them alone. First,
as discussed earlier, whiteflies like to hide on plant
structures making it very hard to get good coverage
when treating. For this reason, it is imperative that
you spray from every angle which is hard to do but
a necessary evil. To help allow the chemical better
reach all parts of the plant, add some SPREADER STICKER
to the tank mix. This product essentially lets the
spray "spread" so that applications are able to cover
more of plant surface area. This extra coverage could be
the difference between success and failure when spraying.
   Another product you should consider adding to the
tank mix is some NYLAR. This is one of the latest growth
hormones which work on insects by interrupting their
growth and development. For whiteflies, Nylar will stall
the cycle so the colony is not able to create reproducing
adults. If you have had a nagging, persistent problem
with this pest in one or several plants, consider a tank
mix with Bifen, Spreader Sticker and Nylar. This combination
will provide control - period. The Bifen will kill
off adults and live young. The Spreader Sticker will help
get the best coverage possible insuring all of the colony
is sprayed and the Nylar will prevent any new young that
hatch from being able to become mature adults. The author
had a Privet with a persistent problem that could not
be solved with any of the products alone. However, adding
the Nylar turned out to be the turning point. Only one
more treatment was needed the season the Nylar was applied
and since that time one application every spring has
served to keep the Privet whitefly free.
   One last thought about using the liquids: be sure to 
do the application with a good sprayer. There are many
"garden" type sprayers available but none the author has seen
are able to deliver the spray from the nozzle with the
right pattern needed to get maximum coverage. We have
taken extra time to piece together several sprayers
which will do the best job possible which means your
efforts won't be wasted. We have several SPRAYERS to
choose from and the size you get should depend on
how big of an area you need to treat. Most of these
are used for pest control in the homes requiring fine
mist like sprays which are actually perfect for whitefly
applications. If you are going to go through all the time
to get the right products to do the job yourself, make
sure you have the right tools to make the application.
The sprayers we list for this job will all work great.
   If you have a greenhouse or small confined area
which has had whitefly activity, you might consider
the use of some ORTHENE FOGGERS. Though this product
does smell bad, it works great on whiteflies. Each
fogger will treat up to 3000 sq/ft and won't hurt the
plants. Orthene is very active on whiteflies and
will serve as a contact kill, a residual kill to get
young as they emerge and because it's an aerosol, there
will be no where for the whiteflies to hide. The
aerosol will naturally find it's way into all parts
of the plant which is a big help when having to treat
small delicate plants that afford a lot of hidden
areas for insects to hide. Remember, this product
shouldn't be used in living areas since it does have
an odor. Alternatively, if you need to use a fogger
but do not want any odor, then a BIFEN FOGGER might
be the better choice for you. This product works the
same way as the old standby Orthene but instead uses
a newer active. Bifen is odorless and very active 
on many pests including Whiteflies. It's used the 
same way and will prove equally effective so consider
this option if you want something with no odor.

NOW THAT YOU'VE GOTTEN RID OF THEM........

   The thing about white flies is that if you don't have
them, wait a few minutes and you will! Any gardener or
grower who likes plants which whiteflies like are bound
to meet their nemesis at one time or another. Though
there are some regions which are more likely to have
whiteflies active than others, any good healthy plant
is a prime target and this seems to be the rule now more
than ever. Some speculate it's because we live in a world
where everything is from somewhere else. This rapid transporting,
relocating and delivery system we have in place are all
adding to the dispersion and high levels of activity
we see regarding many pests around the world. Whiteflies
are no different. Regions which have a lot of activity
are more likely to be growing plants which will be harvested
and relocated to some where north where it could be
snowing. Plants moved between these two regions can
be delivered in warm protected containers providing 
protection from the elements which not only protects
the plants but the whiteflies as well. There is no
doubt that the massive increase of trade beyond 
conventional borders and traditional time lines are
enabling certain pests to appear when they are least
likely to be around. And with these surprise appearances
the foothold they get into our landscape and homes
is ever increasing. To protect your plants from having
a white fly breakout, there are some rules to follow.
1) If you are in a region with a lot of local activity,
don't think you will be overlooked. Inspect for whitefly
activity throughout the growing season and use some traps
to help spot any colonizing on your plants.
2) Start treatments as soon as you identify some activity
and don't rely on one or two sprayings to solve the problem.
Once you think you have it solved be sure to check for
new life every week.
3) For any stubborn infestation you may have use the growth
regulator to knock them out once and for all without having
to spray over and over.
4) Remember that removing infested plants will generally
only do just that; remove a plant which had whitefly activity. 
All your other plants are just as likely to one day soon 
get them if you don't start some preventive maintenance. 

   Whiteflies can be a persistent pest which seems to always
be around and never go away. Use some traps to monitor local
activity and once you have them, be persistent and precise
with your applications. Remember, treating early is always
best as it will save time, money and effort. Once you have
the outbreak under control, be sure to watch for more and
be particularly careful the following year since this is
when most growers seem to forget and before they know what's
happened, their favorite rose bush is infested again!


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