How to identify and control whitefly in greenhouse crops
Still not mastered whitefly control? Don't worry Bioline are taking you back to basics to enhance your pest knowledge and IPM strategy.
Whiteflies may only be minuscule — but their sap-sucking expertise and ability to produce excessive amounts of sticky and sugary honeydew can completely take down your crop production leaving you with unattractive, unhealthy and scarred produce. Even worse, Whiteflies can transmit hundreds of different plant viruses that can also effect the overall quality of your crops.
Taking the above into consideration, Bioline AgroSciences have taken the opportunity to share with their customers and growers some important information on whiteflies. Below, we’ve dug deep into our shared knowledge of one of the worlds most common greenhouse pest. Here, you can refresh your whitefly damage identification skills and learn the best ways to prevent and control the pest with biocontrol.
What does whitefly damage look like?
How do I know if my crop has contracted a virus from whitefly?
What prevention or control can I implement?
Swirskiline (Amblyseius swirskii)
Amblyseius swirskii actively feeds on whitefly eggs and can feed on young whitefly larva (L1).
Encarline (Encarsia formosa)
Encarsia formosa attacks younger whitefly during their larval stages and parasitizes in the third and fourth larval stage of the greenhouse whitefly (aka Trialeurodes vaporariorum).
Montyline (Amblyseius montdorensis)
Montyline is ideal for controlling and preventing whitefly in challenging environmental conditions.
Macroline (Macrolophus pygmaeus)
All mobile stages of Macroline are voracious predators of whitefly larva and pupa. It is best used in combination with the wasps Encarsia formosa and Eretmocerus eremicus.
Eretline (Eretmocerus eremicus)
Eretmocerus eremicus attacks whitefly by host feeding on younger larval stages and parasitizing the second larval stage of greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum, and silverleaf/sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci.