How to treat indoor flowers from whitefly. How to get rid of whiteflies on houseplants

The whitefly gives gardeners and gardeners a lot of problems. Large colonies of these insects, which are considered one of the most dangerous sucking pests, can destroy the crop. To save agricultural plantations, you need to know how to deal with the whitefly. There are several ways to deal with this insect - from chemicals (Aktara, Commander, Fitoverm) to folk remedies (hydrogen peroxide, ammonia, tar soap, garlic). It will be possible to protect yourself from the pest forever by regularly taking preventive measures.

Description and lifestyle of the whitefly

Outwardly, this insect resembles a small moth. Its length is only a few millimeters. The body of the pest is painted yellowish-white and covered, along with the wings, with a powdery wax coating resembling flour. It has a sucking-type mouth apparatus. What this creature looks like can be seen in the photo.

The development of the whitefly (aleurodid) includes 3 stages: egg, larva, adult. The female lays from 10 to 20 eggs at a time, having a greenish tint and a length of about 0.2–0.25 mm. Under favorable conditions for masonry, their number reaches 300 pieces. They are attached to the inner surface of plant leaves. After a few days, the eggs turn brown. The development period of the embryo is 1-2 weeks.

7–14 days after laying the eggs, first-instar larvae emerge from them. They are transparent, only 0.25 mm long. With the help of the oral apparatus, the future adults attach themselves to the leaves and feed on plant sap. After 15 days, the development of the whitefly larva is completed, and it turns into a nymph, from which, after 16 days, an imago will turn out.

How long the life cycle of a pest lasts depends on the ambient temperature. The higher it is, the faster the insect develops.

At a temperature of 12 degrees, the full development cycle of the pest will take 2 months, at 17 degrees - 43 days, at 22 degrees - 1 month, at 27 degrees - 22 days. At air temperatures below 5 degrees, insects are not able to develop.

Adults lead a secretive lifestyle. They live on the lower surface of plant leaves, where they feed, reproduce, and lay their eggs. Whiteflies prefer to live in colonies. If you touch the plant, insects rise into the air in a white cloud, only in this way revealing their presence.

There are several varieties of aleurodides:

• Greenhouse (greenhouse) whitefly. It is found in greenhouses, greenhouses and greenhouses. It affects tomatoes, cucumbers and some types of flowers.
• Citrus whitefly. Lives in Japan, India, China, America. In Russia, it is found on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. It feeds on citrus crops.
• Strawberry whitefly. This type of aleurodide can be found in Europe. Attacks strawberries.
• Cabbage whitefly. Likes cabbage.
• Tobacco whitefly. Able to exist in conditions of high temperatures (32 degrees and above). The favorite food of the tobacco whitefly is vegetable, ornamental and industrial crops.

Do whiteflies have natural enemies?

What harm does the whitefly cause to plants, why is it dangerous?

These pests threaten more than 200 plant species. They like to settle in warm conditions with high humidity. Their favorite habitats are greenhouses, greenhouses, greenhouses and remote abandoned areas in vegetable gardens, to which their owners pay little attention.

Aleirodids feed on agricultural plantations: potatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, legumes, pumpkins, etc. They also love indoor plants, they are especially attracted to flowers such as begonia, fuchsia, passionflower, balsam, lantana, geranium, orchid, violet. Also, these butterflies willingly feed on the juice of petunias and roses. The danger of the whitefly is as follows:

• Harvest loss. Aleurodids feed on the juice of young plants, which negatively affects their development, flowering time, and fruit formation. As a result of the defeat, they cannot fully develop and bear fruit.
• Plantation death. Depriving the substances necessary for further growth, the plant affected by the whitefly dries up and dies.
• The appearance of various diseases on seedlings. These insects are the source of many bacteria and viruses that are dangerous for plants. Having settled on the lower surface of the leaves, they can lead to the appearance of powdery mildew, cladosporiosis that affects tomatoes, bacterial rot, verticillium (fungal disease).
• The appearance of soot fungus (black). The sugary secretions of larvae are especially dangerous for planting. This substance coats the leaves of the plant, provoking the appearance of the fungus aspergillus, which contributes to the blockage of leaf stomata and prevents sunlight from reaching them.

How to deal with an insect pest in the garden, in the greenhouse and in the house?

Ready-made insecticides (Vertimek, Fitoverm, Komandor, etc.)

Ready-made insecticidal preparations (Aktara, Fitoverm, Komandor, etc.) are effective against whiteflies. In order to get rid of aleurodides and not harm your health, insecticides must be used in strict accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations.

Many gardeners and gardeners recommend adding laundry soap, dishwashing liquid or shampoo to these products. Soaps and lathers help the drug to better adhere to the treated leaves, which will prolong its effect. A general description of the most effective insecticides against these insects is presented in the table:

To combat a small number of whiteflies, you can also use a conventional fumigator with a fly plate. It should be installed in a greenhouse or greenhouse. Such a measure is not suitable for ridding domestic plants of aleurodides.

Folk remedies (ammonia alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, iodine, etc.)

You can also fight the whitefly with folk methods. However, it is better to do this together with the use of ready-made insecticidal preparations (Aktar, Fitoverma, Aktellika, etc.). Comprehensive control measures are considered the most effective. The table contains information about the best whitefly remedies that are made at home:

Sticky tape, glue and checker

Glue traps will help get rid of aleurodides. You can buy them or make your own by covering a piece of rich yellow cardboard with castor oil, petroleum jelly, honey or rosin. It will also be possible to remove these insects with the help of sulfuric smoke or tobacco bombs. Information on how to use the listed devices correctly and which brands on the market are best to choose is shown in the table:

What plants does the whitefly dislike and fear?

Some plants are able to repel pests by releasing aromatic substances that not only repel insects, but in some cases also have a toxic effect. Many of them also have insecticidal properties. To scare away the whitefly and fight it will help:

• peppermint;
• wormwood;
• thyme;
• nasturtium.

Spreading aleurodides will help prevent mixed planting of horticultural crops. Their alternation with plants that whiteflies are afraid of will make it difficult to find a "victim".

How to destroy eggs and larvae?

If you treat the affected plants with insecticidal preparations (Fitoverm, Aktara, Confidor), you will not be able to get rid of pest eggs. It will be possible to destroy their eggs and larvae only with the help of a biological method, which involves the introduction of natural enemies to pests of agricultural crops: encarsia, macrolophus bugs, lacewings, ladybugs.

The main advantages of using biological agents to combat aleurodides are high efficiency, safety for the environment and humans. You can buy beneficial insects or plant plants that attract them near the plantations: chamomile, marigolds, marigolds.

Insect prevention

To prevent the appearance of pests in a greenhouse or greenhouse, complex preventive measures are required:

• After each harvest, carry out a disinfectant treatment. This should be done even in the absence of aleurodides.
• Destroy weed plants that may harbor insect larvae.
• Carry out mixed planting, alternating agricultural plantations with plants, the smell of which pests are afraid of.
• When buying seedlings, make sure that they are strong and show no signs of disease.
• Freezing in winter. As soon as the frost hits, it is necessary to leave the greenhouse open for several days, so that everything inside freezes well and the pests have no chance to survive.

Preventing the appearance of insects on indoor plants involves the following recommendations:

• Do not allow water to stagnate in trays.
• Arrange flower pots, avoiding crowding.
• Regularly sanitize. In the process of cleaning, it is necessary to remove plant residues from the soil, cut off the dried parts.
• Regularly ventilate the room in which the flowers are located.
• Implement a 7-day quarantine for new plants.
• If preparing the soil yourself, sterilize it before use.
• Water the plants regularly with water from a shower head. Before carrying out water procedures, you should make sure that they are not contraindicated for the flower.
• Inspect the plants daily, paying special attention to the undersurface of the leaves.

Very simple. You can see a strange white midge that looks like a moth flying over the plant. This should alert you. Touch the leaves, shake them. If the whitefly pest masters your plantings, then a white cloud of moths will immediately appear above the plant. You can suspect the presence of a winged pest by the following signs:

• the presence on the lower surface of the leaf plate of translucent scales (often in large numbers) - whitefly larvae;
• the appearance on the plant of a sticky, shiny coating - honeydew. Like aphids, on flowers, the whitefly excretes honeydew as a waste product;
• black spots on the plant that occur during the development of the soot fungus - the eternal companion of honeydew;
• the plant begins to lag behind in growth, the leaves turn yellow, curl.

It is not difficult to detect whiteflies on plants. If you notice that a strange white midge that looks like a moth is flying over a flower, you should be on your guard. Try touching the leaves of the plant and shaking them. If a whole swarm of moths appeared above it, it means that your green spaces were being mastered by the pest.

The appearance of whiteflies on indoor plants.

There are many signs that make it clear that a winged pest wound up on landings:

1. The lower surface of the leaf blade is covered with translucent scales, the number of which is considerable. Scales are whitefly larvae.
2. A sticky shiny coating appeared on the plant - honey dew. Like aphids, whiteflies leave their waste products on the flower in the form of honeydew.
3. The appearance of black spots on plants, which indicate the development of a soot fungus, which is considered the eternal companion of honeydew.
4. Plants do not grow well, the leaves begin to turn yellow and curl.

The whitefly is a small insect with a body length of no more than 2-2.5 mm. White pollen on the wings of the pest resembles flour in structure. They settle on the inside of the leaf, laying eggs there. After 8-10 days, larvae emerge from the eggs. To fight the larvae, which go through 4 stages in their development, you need to know that it is not so easy to wash them off with water, because the larvae are attached to the leaf with a white sticky mixture.

The fight against larvae and adults should include complex treatment, since their life cycle is different from each other. First of all, it is recommended to hit the intestinal system of whiteflies with chemicals. In this way, mass destruction of plants can be reduced. The weapons of mass destruction include Aktara, Admiral, Kinmiks. All preparations are diluted strictly in accordance with the instructions and sprayed with indoor plants.

To speed up the process of getting rid of insects, you can spill an earthen lump with a solution of drugs. This can be done with pelargoniums. After the solution enters the soil, the root system absorbs the entire chemical composition, which is subsequently saturated with the vegetative parts of the plant. The whitefly feeds on the juice of "poisoned" plants and dies. As an aggressive component, it is better to use Aktara.

Everyone knows that the whitefly reproduces very quickly and produces large offspring. In case of mass damage, one spraying will not be enough. You need to do it a little differently. When examining a plant for damage, it is necessary to cut off all damaged leaves, rinse the entire flower under running water, and only then treat it with an insecticide. In case of mass defeat, "Komfidor", "Talstar" are used, which are also bred in accordance with the instructions.

Sometimes only one specific preparation is missing, since whiteflies, their larvae and laid eggs can be found on the same plant at the same time. Therefore, it is recommended to carry out the treatment with complex means three times with an interval of 7 days.

Depending on the type of plants, you will have to choose a specific drug. For example, in order to destroy the whitefly on fuchsia, in addition to using chemical preparations, it will be necessary to use mechanical means: to catch insects with an adhesive tape that is used to catch flies, from time to time to wash the foliage under running water.

If single individuals are found, garlic tincture will come to the rescue. To prepare it, you will need to grind 100 g of garlic, boil 500 ml of water and pour the chopped agent. To make the infusion concentrated, you will need to insist in a dark place for a week. A concentrated infusion is not suitable for spraying, it can lead to leaf burns. To reduce the percentage, you will need to dilute the solution with water at a percentage of 5 g per 1 liter of water.

In case of mass infection, one garlic - “there is no warrior in the field”, dandelion will come to the rescue. You will need to take fresh dandelion leaves weighing 50 g, roots - 40 g, chop and put in a container. Pour 1 liter of boiled water and let stand for 2 hours. Before use, the product must be filtered. If one treatment is not enough, the second is carried out 7 days after the first.

In addition to the treatment with infusion of garlic and dandelion, it is important to use additional means of struggle. A good effect was shown by the use of laundry soap. You will need to dissolve the soap in water, after rubbing it on a grater, moisten a rag in the resulting solution and wipe the leaves of the plants with it.

Wonder Trap

Whiteflies, unlike other pests, love the color yellow. It is desirable to take this fact into account and direct it against the insects themselves. As an additional tool, you need to hang traps, both for flies and handmade ones.

To make a miracle trap, you need to take a strip of cardboard, grease it with something sticky yellow, such as petroleum jelly, rosin, resin or castor oil. The smell, of course, is unpleasant, but in this way pests can be dealt with.

Prevention

To reduce the likelihood of whiteflies appearing on indoor plants, it is not recommended to bring bouquets of flowers made from garden plants into the house, since in the summer the whitefly appears in the house in this way.

It is clear that one cannot do without airing the room, but insects fly into the house through the window, so the windows must be protected. When buying a new plant in a flower shop, it is important to carefully inspect it for unexpected guests, and in the house to put it separately from other indoor flowers so that it adapts.

At home, you can notice thrips on indoor plants: how to deal with small insects that settle on violets, ficuses, citrus fruits, begonias and roses and their population is more than 2000 varieties?

You can recognize thrips by description. These are small pests with an elongated yellow body. Sometimes you can meet individuals with a dark brown and black body. Adult specimens have a pair of wings. The larvae are rather small in size, with a body length not exceeding 1 mm. To understand that these are thrips, you can take a good look at him, they jump.

They settle on the vegetative parts of plants, feed on juice from leaves, stems of flowers. The danger lies in the fact that they multiply rapidly. After laying eggs, after 10 days numerous colonies of pests appear. But they become adults after a month.

You can understand that thrips are present on plants by discolored areas on the foliage. In addition, all foliage will be strewn with through punctures - black dots. Brown and dark spots will be clearly visible on the lower part of the leaf plate.

It is very difficult to fight thrips, it will not give up so easily, you need to be prepared for this. Getting rid of the pest should begin with hygiene procedures. First you need to inspect all instances of indoor flowers for infection with thrips. Sick plants will have to be moved to the bathroom and rinsed thoroughly in the shower.

With a massive defeat, you will first have to remove all adults, this can be done with a vacuum cleaner. Next, you need to get rid of the larvae, they can be removed with cotton swabs. On examination, you will have to remove all damaged foliage, cut flowers. If a large part is damaged, you will have to completely cut the stem to a healthy part.

In addition, the plant spends a lot of energy on flowering, which means that, spending energy, a weakened flower may soon die. Chemical treatment affects the flowers, and they lose their attractiveness. After processing, you will need to remove the plant from the old pot, transplant into new soil. The place where the flower stood will also need to be treated with chemicals.

Preparatory measures will not free you from pests, it is necessary to apply insecticide treatment. To combat thrips, Actelik, Fitoverm and Agravertin are used. In order for Fitoverm to give a positive result, you need to know that spraying with a diluted agent is effective only at room temperatures above 20 ° C.

In addition to these remedies, you can get rid of whitefly with the help of the following drugs:

• Zeta;
• Rovikurt;
• Inta-Vir;
• Fufanon;
• Top Star;
• Alatar.

whitefly- of the many pests that "love" indoor plants (and also garden and garden plants together) occupies one of the first places in terms of harmfulness. She is not only gluttonous, but also troublesome to deal with her. Of course, the best way to deal with whiteflies is prevention, but often, despite good care and all protective measures, indoor flowers are attacked by various pests. In this case, and take urgent and drastic measures. Approximately 70% of success in pest control depends on how early they are detected. To do this, it is necessary to carefully and regularly examine the plant and, of course, to know what this or that pest looks like in order to choose the right way to deal with it.

What is dangerous whitefly and how to identify it

The whitefly is small in size, but it is easy to recognize it, at least by association with the name. Although it is a terrible pest, the whitefly looks harmless and even cute. Quite small, only 1-2 mm with wings that are covered with white bloom. Single insects can only be seen through a magnifying glass. But most often, whiteflies are found when, when touched by a favorite fuchsia or geranium, a host of white small insects takes off. This is the most disturbing symptom. Flying whiteflies are already adult insects that have probably laid eggs, and soon larvae will appear that will eat everything. Outwardly, the whitefly larva resembles a scale insect. She also sticks to the plant and creates a wax cocoon. But sucking out juices is not all the harm caused by the larvae of this pest, the tobacco whitefly (aka cotton) is also a carrier of diseases, quite often its appearance precedes the appearance of and.

It is necessary to start fighting this pest when the first signs of its activity appear. The first sign of the appearance of a whitefly is the appearance of a sticky, shiny substance, gum, on the leaves. If you look closely, you will notice whitefly eggs on young leaves. This is a sure sign that immediate action needs to be taken. There are many species of whiteflies, but they are especially dangerous for indoor plants: greenhouse (greenhouse), citrus, for garden plants in the summer can create problems tobacco (cotton) whitefly.

Whitefly on indoor plants: pest control

The sooner a pest is detected, the less damage it can cause and the more effective and easier it will be to fight it. Lime the whitefly immediately, it is unlikely to succeed, the process is lengthy. Do not immediately apply chemistry. Get rid of the adults and at least some of the eggs first. Flying whiteflies can be collected with a regular vacuum cleaner. It is worth touching the plant, they will rise into the air, turn on the vacuum cleaner and collect. Then you need to wash the leaves and stems of the plant under running water. If possible, then change the soil in the pot.

Advice. The whitefly is a thermophilic pest. Temperatures below +15 do not tolerate. Therefore, if the plant is resistant to temperature drops, it can be put in a cool place. Usually a week is enough for the whitefly to die.

But this is preliminary preparation. After it, you can apply chemicals. The choice of chemistry for the fight against whiteflies is quite wide. For example - "Fufanon", "Confidor", "Aktellik", etc. "Aktara" has proven itself well and is widely used. One treatment is usually not enough. They must be repeated once a week. It will be necessary to carry out 2-3 treatments.

If you are not a supporter of chemistry, then there are other ways to get rid of the whitefly. Color traps for whiteflies are widely used. These traps are very similar to flypaper and work in much the same way. But this is rather a preventive control measure, because it only affects an adult flying individual and can only stop it on approaching the plant. But if the eggs have already been laid and the larvae have hatched, then the traps are unlikely to help here.

There are folk ways to deal with whitefly. But they only work when there are not many pests on the plant yet. When the problem is started, then folk methods are ineffective. The most common way to deal with whiteflies is to use garlic infusion. It is prepared like this.

Marina Kaustyan

Mom and housewife. Knows all the secrets of indoor plants and loves to tell them to others

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Probably every experienced gardener or just a lover of indoor plants has come across an even greater lover of flowers. This is a pest called whitefly. Outwardly, it resembles a small moth. Without noticing the whitefly in time, you can lose your garden, because these pests cause tremendous damage, including bringing seedlings to death.

Despite the stage of development of a butterfly (adult or larva), they are equally voracious and ready to drink all the juice from plants. At first, they simply lose their vitality and slow down growth, and then they die altogether.

Finding a whitefly is very easy. It flies over plants, looks very much like a small white midge. Also can be confused with moth.

Shake the leaves and if a cloud of small moths has formed above it, the whitefly has already begun to master your plantings. Small scales may hang from the back of the leaf - this is how the nascent larvae look (usually hanging in large numbers). In addition, there may be a shiny coating on the leaves (this liquid is also secreted by aphids in the process of life). And after the appearance of this liquid, black spots appear, which indicates the occurrence of a fungus.

The leaves turn yellow, curl, no longer grow - this is also sign of a pest.

If a whitefly is found, immediately take measures to destroy the pest.

Usually, they appear on plants during very hot but humid summers - this is ideal weather for white butterflies, temperatures below 10 degrees are already deadly for them. However, do not think that winter will kill these insects, the larvae tolerate the cold very well, and when the heat comes, they are ready to start their sabotage.

Do you have a vegetable garden?

YesNot

The biggest difficulty is that the whitefly can spread to all rooms of the apartment / house if there are flowers there, because for her this is not a particular problem, because she flies.

This insect is very tenacious, it is extremely difficult to eliminate it.

Nevertheless, despite the fact that the whitefly is still a very dangerous pest, it is still possible (and even necessary) to deal with it.

In general, all methods are effective, both chemical, mechanical, and folk. However, more preference should still be given to chemical ones, since they penetrate directly into the juice of the plant and poison it. After drinking the poisoned juice, the whitefly and all offspring die. If we turn to folk methods, then they act directly on the insect itself, destroying it. The larvae and eggs remain intact, the juice of the plant does not change.

Another way is traps., but they only work on adults, so they will only work in advanced cases.

Insecticides that can control whitefly

• Aktara. A tool well known to the professional gardener, as it is universal and can cope with a huge number of pests even at the initial stages of development. The cost is 8.5 thousand rubles per 1 kg, but this volume will last for several years, so you should not complain about the price. Using it is very simple - water the plant directly under the roots. That's all. The plant absorbs the chemical and the juice is poisonous, which kills the insect almost instantly;
• Actellik. 3 thousand rubles per liter. It mainly fights against a colony of insects, making units much rarer. It is not used as a single remedy, it is best to combine it with Aktara. The only drawback is that it has a high toxicity class (dangerous for humans). Therefore, when applying it, you need to remember all safety rules and thoroughly rinse the area where the treatment was carried out. In addition, it has an unpleasant odor;
• Kinmix. Cost: 4 thousand rubles per liter. It has a detrimental effect on the nervous system of the insect, death occurs in a day. Again, it is diluted in a large amount of water, so the consumption is very long and the cost is not so high.

How to process?

When working with insecticides, you need to be extremely careful. Firstly, if the treatment is carried out in a residential area - after that it is necessary to ventilate it well, but it is better to leave it to ventilate for a day. If among the processed plants there are fruits, they can be eaten only after a few days (ideally - after a week and a half).

Protect any area of ​​the body where the chemical may enter, window sill or pore after washing thoroughly. It is best to dress in buried clothes, put on gloves on your hands. Places that could get insecticide - thoroughly rinse with plenty of warm water.

Dilute the insecticide with water exactly in the proportions indicated in the instructions. Carefully wipe / spray the leaves, stems (pay special attention to the underside of the leaf, since this is where the larvae live until they grow up).

Some insecticides need to be watered into the soil so that the solution is absorbed into the roots and poisons the juice that these butterflies feed on. Some gardeners recommend at the initial stages to make the solution 3-4 times more concentrated than it is written in the instructions (this is especially true for Aktara).

Folk remedies against whiteflies

• The easiest way is water. Just wipe the leaves with a thick cloth. Careful attention must be paid to the lower area in order to accurately remove all the larvae. Nevertheless, you need to be careful, because the larvae can fall into the ground, and they live in open ground without any problems;
• soapy water. Proportions 1:6, tar or laundry soap thoroughly dissolved in water. The foam is applied with a sponge on the leaves, you can spray. However, be careful with contact with the soil, because contact with deep soil layers is contraindicated;
• tobacco solution. Grind a cheap pack of cigarettes (such as "Prima", "Maxima") and dissolve in water (1 liter of water is used for a pack of cigarettes). Leave to infuse for about 5-6 days in a dark place where the sun's rays do not penetrate. Do the same manipulations as with a soap solution. Within three days, you need to lime the entire solution.

In general, it is recommended to rub folk remedies into the leaves, because in this way you are in more contact with the insect, since you cannot cause any other harm to it. The sprayed solution is less concentrated, so it may not have such a detrimental effect on the whitefly.

Plant Prevention

First you need to still find out under what circumstances the whitefly appears. To do this, pay attention to the following factors:

• Warm;
• High humidity;
• Densely planted plants;
• Stale air.

Under these conditions, the whitefly appears on your houseplants. These are the most favorable, one might even say favorite conditions for the pest. As soon as it starts to get colder, the seedlings stand one at a time, the room is ventilated - the whitefly dies out.

Remember that pests will never appear on the site (even if it is indoor), which is constantly looked after. Necessary keep an eye on the plants, look under the leaves, wipe them and sometimes change the soil.

Another trick - foil. It is used to reflect the sun's rays to the inside of the leaf. White butterflies hate the sun, so this will cause great harm to the larvae.

By observing the care of pets, checking them in time, you will definitely get rid of such a scourge as pests. The whitefly is a very dangerous insect, the fight against which is simply necessary.

We tell in detail how to deal with the whitefly at home - effective methods of struggle. See how to get rid of whiteflies on indoor flowers with the help of folk remedies and chemicals, as well as preventive measures.

How to deal with whiteflies on indoor plants?

It is difficult to get rid of the insect, only adults can be destroyed with insecticides, and, as a rule, there are pests at different stages of development.

The larvae are very firmly attached to the leaves, and it is not possible to wash them off with any solution, and the susceptibility to the action of chemicals is very low.

• Therefore, the best time to treat indoor plants by any means is when an adult has just formed.

An adult insect begins to actively feed and mate, and at this moment it is most sensitive to the effects of folk remedies or drugs.

It is also difficult to fight a pest on indoor flowers because, during spraying, adults often begin to fly and hide.

CONTROL MEASURES

1. If an insect is found, place the flower separately from other pets and inspect the entire collection. The place where the specimen was located (windowsill, window, outer sides of the pots) - wash with a soap and alcohol solution.
2. Replace the top layer of soil in the flower pot.
3. Before treatment with the drug, wipe the leaves of the plant from white plaque with a cotton swab (soft toothbrush) with a solution of water with methyl alcohol (1: 1) or soapy water, and cut off seriously affected areas.
4. Rinse off the solution and leave it to dry. After the water has evaporated from the leaves, spray the flower, topsoil, and spill the soil with a systemic insecticide.
5. Ventilate the room well so that traces of the chemical agent disappear.

ADVIСE. Plant species that cannot be washed leaves need to be sprayed, and preferably with chemical preparations.

Treating all houseplants increases your chances of getting rid of whiteflies, as does rinsing your window sill, pots, and glass.

In addition to treatments with folk remedies or chemicals, you need to inspect a home flower daily, collect whitefly eggs and catch adults. Cut off the affected and yellowed leaves on house flowers in a timely manner.

It is sometimes necessary to treat houseplants with whitefly remedies in order to completely get rid of it within 40-50 days.

whitefly medications

Since the susceptibility of the pest to chemicals at different stages of development is significantly different, it is necessary to deal with the pest in a comprehensive manner.

Chemical preparations for whiteflies are an effective tool in pest control on houseplants.

Experts advise using systemic insecticides (Aktara, Konfidor, Tanrek) with a soil mixture from the very beginning. These drugs will eventually spread through the roots throughout the plant, and the insect will be easier to destroy.

• Systemic insecticides are recommended to be alternated with enteric-contact preparations, since they do not act on the fourth-stage larva (pupa - it does not suck plant sap).

Of the enteric-contact drugs, one can note: Akarin, Aktellik, Inta-Vir, Karbofos and Fitoverm.

Popular drugs

Near each drug, we indicated its hazard (toxicity) class: 4 - low hazard to humans, safe for bees and beneficial insects, 3 - moderately hazardous substance, 2 - highly hazardous substance, 1 - extremely dangerous for humans and animals.

Non-systemic insecticides of contact-intestinal action

1. "Akarin" (the old name "Agravertin") - 4, (Avertin), price: 4 ml package - 13-20 rubles.
2. "Aktellik" - 2, (pyrimifos-methyl), price: 2 ml package - 30-50 rubles. On the territory of Russia, the drug for personal use is not registered as of 01.10.2016. Although sometimes the drug can still be found in small stores and on the Internet.
3. "Bankol" - 3 (bensultap), price: a package of 10 grams - 30-40 rubles.
4. "Vertimek" - 2, (abamectin), price: $ 90 / liter, manual packaging - 2 ml - 25 rubles.
5. "Inta-Vir" - 3, (cypermethrin), price: package 8 gr - 10-15 rubles.
6. "Karbofos" ("Malathion", "Fufanon", "Iskra M") - 3, (malathion), price: a package of 30 gr - 30-40 rubles (a sharp unpleasant odor).
7. "Fitoverm" - 4, (aversectin C), price: package (ampoule) 4ml - 15-20 rubles.

Systemic insecticides of contact-intestinal action

1. "Aktara" - 3, (thiamethoxam), price: 1.2 ml ampoule - 40-50 rubles, package 4 gr - 90-120 rubles.
2. "Confidor Extra" - 3, (imidacloprid), price: package 1 gr - 30-40 rubles.
3. "Tanrek" - 3, (imidacloprid), price: 1 ml ampoule - 10-15 rubles.

• Prices are based on hypermarkets such as "Obi", "Leroy Merlin" according to the rate of 1 dollar = 65 rubles. These preparations are widely found in many flower shops.

What is the best drug to choose?

These funds can be alternated, if necessary, with each other in order to completely get rid of the whitefly on indoor flowers.

In case of serious damage or a decrease in the effect of treatment with previous chemicals, go to Aktellik, Karbofos or Vertimek as they are more toxic.

"Karbofos", "Vertimek" and "Aktellik" can only process indoor plants in the open air.

ATTENTION! Carefully read the instructions for use of any drug and follow the manufacturer's recommendations.

"Fitoverm" from the whitefly

The drug "Fitoverm" well destroys the whitefly on flowers, and many experts recommend starting the fight with it. "Fitoverm" is an insecticide of biological origin with minimal danger to humans and pets.

Dissolve 2 ml of the drug in 200 ml of water and spray the indoor flower. Processing is carried out every 5-8 days, depending on the size and age of the plants, as well as the air temperature.

In most situations, 3-4 sprays of a flower are enough to completely get rid of the whitefly.

6-8 days after the last or next spraying with Fitoverm, the home flower can be treated with Epin to support it.

"Aktara" from the whitefly

Many flower growers prefer to deal with the whitefly on houseplants with the help of Aktara. "Aktara" is a very strong systemic insecticide that can destroy the pest quite quickly and easily for the grower.

Watering the soil, without spraying, is often enough to get rid of whiteflies on houseplants. According to the reviews of flower growers, this method of struggle helps well: water the indoor flower with Aktara, and the second time after 6-8 days, and the insect will be completely destroyed.

Standard application of "Aktara" in pest control:

The indoor flower is sprayed with Aktara solution 1 gram per 1.25 liters of water (enough for 25-30 plants) and the soil mixture is shed - 1 gram per 10 liters of water.

Processing must be carried out 2-4 times, every 10-12 days, depending on the air temperature. In most cases, after 2-3 procedures, it is possible to get rid of the whitefly at home.

After spraying the plant, "Aktar" does not need to be washed off. The waiting period for spraying is 1-24 hours, and for watering - 2-4 days.

The drug for severe lesions: "Aktellik"

Dilute the Aktellika ampoule (2 ml) in a liter of water and spray the indoor flower. Use no more than 2 treatments in a row. The waiting period is 3 days.

IMPORTANT!"Aktellik" can only be used outdoors. It is impossible to work with them for pregnant women, people suffering from asthma and allergic diseases.

The drug "Actellik" is a powerful and toxic remedy that helps get rid of the whitefly on home flowers.

Plan for the treatment of indoor plants with drugs

1. It is necessary to process indoor flowers from the whitefly every 6-8 days (temperature above 20 degrees Celsius) since the egg stage lasts 10-20 days at 17-23 ° C.
2. Be aware that if the air temperature at the time of spraying is below 18 °, then the effectiveness of chemicals is seriously reduced.
3. After spraying, you do not need to put a plastic transparent bag on the home flower, it is more important to carry out a second procedure at the right time.
4. Remember that a single treatment with any drug gives a one-time effect.

IMPORTANT! If a whitefly is found, it is necessary to process all house flowers in a way that it moves easily. If you process only part of your collection, then the risk of re-discovery of the pest is high.

How to get rid of whitefly folk remedies?

As before, it is folk remedies that are the main weapon in the fight against pests in vegetable crops. It is very important to fight the whitefly with them on cabbage, cucumbers, greens, tomatoes and others.

Since the treatment with chemicals leads to the accumulation of hazardous substances in the tissues of the plant, vegetables, fruits and berries will harm the human body.

However, pest control with folk remedies on houseplants is less successful than with chemicals. However, many flower growers have been able to get rid of the whitefly on indoor flowers with the help of folk remedies.

Therefore, the use of chemicals or folk remedies is the personal choice of each person.

• The editors of the “Feast of Flowers” ​​can say from their own experience that among folk remedies, garlic, onions are more effective in combination with frequent washings of the plant with soapy water (tar, potash or household).

The use of traps and a fumigator in addition will also speed up the process of exterminating the insect.

1. Soap solution

To prepare the solution, you can take household, tar or green potassium soap, and, in extreme cases, any will do, as well as dishwashing detergent.

1. It is necessary to treat the houseplant completely with a soapy solution, as well as the window sill, window frame, pot and pot tray. The more foam in the process, the better.
2. After wiping the plant, it is better to wash off the soap foam after 2-4 hours.

RECIPE. Pour a tablespoon of soap shavings with a glass of warm water. To enhance the effect, you can add a teaspoon of ammonia (technical, medical, in extreme cases, vodka) and 300 grams of water.

The soap-alcohol solution must be washed off after 10-15 minutes with warm water so as not to burn the home flower.

IMPORTANT! Some experts insist that the use of a soap solution on indoor flowers is not acceptable. In their opinion, soap blocks the stomata, which leads to disruption of photosynthesis and flower development.

Alcohol can not process plant species with delicate leaves.

2. Wood ash

Wood ash from pests is often used by flower growers.

Add one glass of crushed wood ash to five liters of water and infuse for 3-4 hours. Then add 50 grams of soap and start spraying the plants with infusion of aphid ash.

2nd RECIPE. Pour 250 g of ash with boiling water, strain after cooling and spray the plant.

3. Garlic

Garlic infusion is a popular remedy in pest control.

Pour five crushed cloves (a teaspoon of gruel) of garlic into a glass of water. Infuse the mixture in a tightly sealed container for 1-2 days, and then rinse the plant every 7-8 days. To spray - strain the infusion through three layers of gauze.

Recipe number 2. A teaspoon of garlic gruel (4-5 crushed teeth) is poured into 500 ml of boiling water and insisted for 4-5 hours. The infusion is filtered and the affected flower is wiped.

Recipe number 3. Lay out a few sheets of paper around the potted plant and place a slurry of garlic on top. Then cover the indoor flower with a bag (for garbage).

The package is left for a week, the plant is ventilated every evening. If desired, after 3-4 days, you can add fresh gruel of garlic.

4. Bow

A medium-sized onion is finely chopped, rubbed and poured with a glass of water for 2-3 hours. Then everything, as with garlic.

ONION SHELL. To prepare an infusion from aphids, 20 grams of husks are poured with a liter of warm water and infused for 13-16 hours. The resulting infusion is sprayed with indoor flowers, usually 2-3 procedures are enough to destroy insects.

5. Infusion of pepper

Apply an infusion of red hot pepper to kill the whitefly: boil 20-30 grams of chopped (finely chopped) pepper in 200 ml of water for 60 minutes. Then leave the resulting liquid for 24 hours and strain. For spraying, dilute 10 ml of infusion of pepper from aphids in a liter of water.

You can treat indoor plants with infusion of pepper once every two weeks. Pepper tincture can be stored for a long time in finished form, which allows it to be used immediately after the pest is detected.

PROCESSING RULES. Folk remedies are best used every 5-6 days 3-4 times in a row with one of the infusions. For each procedure, it is necessary to prepare a fresh solution, with the exception of exceptions (pepper tincture).

ADVICE. For a greater effect from spraying with a folk remedy (it will stick to the plant better), add soap to the solution - about a teaspoon of chips per liter of infusion or solution.

There are other home and folk remedies for whitefly, but we believe that this list of folk remedies will be sufficient for the grower. Since the presented home remedies are easy to find and apply, and they are also quite effective.

Other folk tricks

Glue traps

In order to make it easier to deal with pests on plants, in addition to folk remedies or chemicals, glue traps can be used. They are great at catching adult insects.

To kill whiteflies, you can buy a glue fly trap or make your own.

Mushroom gnats caught in a trap

How to make a DIY whitefly trap?

Paint a piece of plywood, cardboard or thick paper yellow. You can use white traps, but yellow attracts the attention of the pest more strongly.

Lubricate the trap with a sticky substance - castor or machine oil, petroleum jelly, rosin with honey.

dichlorvos

You can fight the pest with dichlorvos, but only if there is no aquarium, children and animals in the house. To do this, spray dichlorvos in the morning and evening around the houseplant.

Fumigator

If there is a separate sealed room (balcony, loggia) that no one will enter, then you can transfer the home flower into it for 2 days and turn on the fumigator with insect plates.

You can also turn on the fumigator for the time when you leave for work or at night and put the plant in the bathroom.

Benzyl benzoate from whitefly

Many flower growers advise using a benzyl benzoate emulsion rather than an ointment to treat scabies.

Dissolve a teaspoon of benzyl benzoate in 200 ml of water and spray the flower.

According to reviews, this is a very effective tool that can remove the whitefly in one procedure. On average, the plant is sprayed 2-3 times in 5-7 days.

Fighting whiteflies using temperature (thermal method)

Insects do not tolerate low temperatures - less than 10 degrees Celsius. To do this, put the affected houseplant in a cool place. This method is in addition to flower treatments with drugs or folk remedies and is suitable for species that can withstand cold.

2nd OPTION. Heat the plant in a closed space (glazed balcony / loggia on a hot day or a greenhouse) to 40-45 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, the whitefly will go into thermal shock.

Biological control methods

These control methods are ideal for greenhouses and greenhouses. Therefore, in order to bring out the whitefly, it is recommended to use its natural enemies (lacewing, ladybug, macrolofus, encarsia and others).

Biological agents effectively destroy the pest without harming humans and animals.

Prevention

To prevent the appearance of whiteflies on houseplants, it is necessary to prevent both high temperature and humidity at the same time. Ventilate the room and do not place indoor flowers too close to each other.

It is very important to properly care for a house plant, as a strong flower will be able to withstand the pest longer.

ADDITIONS TO THE ARTICLE:

We hope that you know how to deal with the whitefly and can get rid of it with the help of drugs or folk remedies.

Keep pests away from your favorite plants!

There are many insects that can harm both indoor and garden plants. And the whitefly among them is one of the most dangerous pests. But you can get rid of it, the main thing is to know what methods are really capable of destroying the insect.

What is this insect

The whitefly looks like a small moth and is about 2 mm long. From above, the insect is covered with white pollen. It is not easy to find it, as they usually hide on the underside of the leaves. In the same place, females lay eggs, which are attached to the plant with thin stems. One female is able to lay about 300 eggs per month.

Then larvae appear, capable of moving around the plant on their own immediately after birth and looking for food. When the larvae grow up, they stop feeding. Female whiteflies spread to other plants where they continue to lay their eggs. Insects live for about a month.

The whitefly, like its larvae, feeds on the sap of plants, therefore it is able to destroy them very quickly. The leaves quickly turn yellow, as the plant loses all its strength, and soon dies. In addition, insects carry many different diseases that infect flowers and plants. That is why the whitefly is considered a dangerous pest and a headache for all gardeners.

How to recognize a pest

The first sign of a whitefly is the presence of white midges near the plant. Therefore, if they appear there, you must immediately check the leaves. It is enough just to shake the plant so that the insects scatter. You can identify an insect and thanks to the following features:

1. Small white scales appear on the underside of the leaves. These are larvae deposited by whiteflies.
2. A sticky coating appears on the plant. This is the waste of insects.
3. Black spots can be seen on the leaves, which appear as a result of the development of a soot fungus.
4. The plant stops growing, and the leaves quickly curl and turn yellow.

Where and when does the whitefly appear?

The insect affects not only indoor plants, but also garden plants. In the house, it can appear in the summer during frequent rains. The fact is that whiteflies are very fond of heat and humidity. For example, at temperatures below 10°C, adults and larvae die. But the eggs can easily endure frost.

Therefore, in cold weather, midges prefer to live in greenhouses and greenhouses. The ideal conditions for the whitefly are the lack of ventilation and the close proximity of plants. And in order to prevent the appearance and reproduction of insects, you need to ensure that:

• plants are well ventilated;
• there was no excessive watering;
• the plants were often fertilized and were not planted too closely.

Of the indoor plants, the whitefly most often infects ficuses, gardenias, orchids, begonias and gerberas. They can also feed on vegetables, especially tomatoes, and deciduous trees such as apple, mulberry, pear, rowan, and oak.

How to deal with whitefly

There are a huge number of ways to save plants from flying pests. Chemical agents are considered the most effective. They poison the sap of the plant that whiteflies feed on. But "chemistry" does not work on eggs. Therefore, after the first spraying, you need to wait until the larvae hatch.

Folk remedies act on the insects themselves, without poisoning the plants, and also give a good result. And with the help of traps and fumigators, it is easy to destroy adults. It is important to know that during the period when the larvae are transformed into an adult, all chemicals have practically no effect on them.

Traps and fumigators

As a trap, you can use special devices that are sold in specialized stores. This is cardboard impregnated with glue safe for humans. These cardboard traps are usually yellow in color to attract insects. Whiteflies only need to get a little closer to the cardboard to stick. In addition, such traps work well against other harmful insects, such as poutine mites or fungal mosquitoes.

You can easily make them yourself. To do this, you need a thick cardboard of bright yellow color. It is then coated with petroleum jelly, castor oil, and a mixture of rosin and honey. They are fixed on a holder made of metal or wood. You can install such traps directly in the flowerpot, if the plant is already affected by insects, or on the windowsill. In a greenhouse, one trap is enough for 10 square meters. m.

You can also use fumigators, intended for mosquitoes and flies. They need to be plugged into sockets located as close as possible to the plants themselves. At the same time, it is important to isolate the room, since the liquid in the fumigator is quite harmful to people and animals.

Folk remedies for whiteflies

The easiest way to kill pests is to wipe the leaves of plants with a sponge and water. This method allows you to get rid of larvae and adults. But it is acceptable only for indoor plants. It is enough to wipe the leaves once a week to reduce the number of whiteflies. You can kill insects by lowering the air temperature in the room. But the eggs will not die, so this method must be repeated from time to time.

It is most effective to wipe the leaves of plants with a soapy solution. To prepare it, you need to take laundry soap and grate it on a fine grater. Then it must be dissolved in water in a proportion of 1 tbsp. l. soap for 6 tbsp. l. water. After that, beat the solution into a foam and wipe the leaves. You can also spray them with this liquid, but then you do not need to whip the foam. The main thing is that the solution does not get into the soil.

Excellent helps to destroy the whitefly infusion of garlic. To do this, take 3 small cloves of garlic, chop and immediately pour a liter of water. You need to insist for about a day in a dark place. Then the affected plants are sprayed with this liquid. From time to time, the procedure must be repeated.

You can get rid of insects with the help of tobacco. It is enough to grind a pack of strong cigarettes and pour a liter of water, only hot. Keep the infusion in a dark place for at least 5 days. Before use, the solution must be filtered. You need to spray the plants every few days until the whiteflies completely disappear.

Chemicals

Among all modern chemicals, the most effective in pest control are:

1. Aktara. It is enough to pour this solution on the root of the plant so that all insects die. All adults and larvae die due to the fact that the agent slightly poisons the plant sap. For the first time, this solution is better to make a little stronger than it is written in the instructions for the drug. It is absolutely safe for the flower, but the pest is guaranteed to disappear. If the flower is damaged very badly, you can spray it with Actara. This must be done 3 times in a row with a break of a week.
2. Confidor. Usually, one watering is enough to completely destroy pests. The product must be diluted according to the instructions and watered the root of the plant. You can replace Confidor with drugs such as Admir, Appleud and Kopfidor.
3. Akarin. This is an excellent remedy not only for whiteflies, but also for most other plant pests. They need to spray the plants, preferably only places where insects accumulate. Akarin acts both through the juice of the plant and in direct contact with insects.
4. Spark. The drug is available in the form of tablets, liquid, powder and sticks. They need to water infected plants. The advantage of Iskra is that it lasts for 20-25 days. Therefore, one spraying is quite enough.

After the plant has been treated with a chemical agent, it can be placed in a bag and tied. You need to keep it for at least 1-2 hours for the drug to work more effectively. Then the plant must be washed well under a strong stream of water and put in place.

Some experienced gardeners recommend using a more extreme method, in which the plant is completely immersed in a chemical solution for 5 minutes. Then it also needs to be washed thoroughly. Garden plants are sprayed with these preparations 3 times in a row with a break of 7-10 days.

Prevention measures

The fight against such a pest as the whitefly can last all summer. Therefore, in order to prevent the appearance of insects in the garden or garden, you need to take preventive measures. For example, when planting seedlings of tomatoes or other vegetable crops in a greenhouse, you need to provide it with good ventilation.

The air temperature should not exceed 15–16°C. The greenhouse needs to be painted and the entire area cleared of old grass. In winter, it is better to open the greenhouse so that it freezes well. And purchased seedlings should always be carefully checked for infection.

As for indoor plants, it is necessary:

• prevent stagnation of water in pallets;
• do not put flowerpots very close to each other;
• regularly do sanitary cleaning, removing dry leaves, cutting shoots, etc .;
• often ventilate the room in which the plants are located;
• when buying a new houseplant, it is necessary to quarantine it for at least a week;
• wash the plant from time to time and wipe the leaves, if there are no contraindications to this.

And remember, if the soil for planting is mixed on its own, all components must undergo mandatory sterilization!

If the whitefly infects the plant, then getting rid of it will not be easy. Insect eggs are very difficult to destroy, and insects multiply and spread quickly. Therefore, at the first detection of the whitefly, it is necessary to take urgent measures to destroy it.

Video: fight against whitefly

Houseplant lovers, no matter how well and properly they take care of houseplants, sooner or later they encounter pests such as whiteflies, thrips and spider mites.

Houseplants

Insects cause a lot of trouble and, if not dealt with, will destroy plants. If a whitefly started up on indoor plants, how to deal with an annoying insect so as not to harm the household and cure the flowers?

How to deal with whiteflies on houseplants

The whitefly is a small insect with a body length of no more than 2-2.5 mm. White pollen on the wings of the pest resembles flour in structure. They settle on the inside of the leaf, laying eggs there. After 8-10 days, larvae emerge from the eggs. To fight the larvae, which go through 4 stages in their development, you need to know that it is not so easy to wash them off with water, because the larvae are attached to the leaf with a white sticky mixture.

whitefly medications

The fight against larvae and adults should include complex treatment, since their life cycle is different from each other. First of all, it is recommended to hit the intestinal system of whiteflies with chemicals. In this way, mass destruction of plants can be reduced. The weapons of mass destruction include Aktara, Admiral, Kinmiks. All preparations are diluted strictly in accordance with the instructions and sprayed with indoor plants.

Whitefly on a houseplant

To speed up the process of getting rid of insects, you can spill an earthen lump with a solution of drugs. This can be done with pelargoniums. After the solution enters the soil, the root system absorbs the entire chemical composition, which is subsequently saturated with the vegetative parts of the plant. The whitefly feeds on the juice of "poisoned" plants and dies. As an aggressive component, it is better to use Aktara.

Everyone knows that the whitefly reproduces very quickly and produces large offspring. In case of mass damage, one spraying will not be enough. You need to do it a little differently. When examining a plant for damage, it is necessary to cut off all damaged leaves, rinse the entire flower under running water, and only then treat it with an insecticide. In case of mass defeat, "Komfidor", "Talstar" are used, which are also bred in accordance with the instructions.

Sometimes only one specific preparation is missing, since whiteflies, their larvae and laid eggs can be found on the same plant at the same time. Therefore, it is recommended to carry out the treatment with complex means three times with an interval of 7 days.

Depending on the type of plants, you will have to choose a specific drug. For example, in order to destroy the whitefly on fuchsia, in addition to using chemical preparations, it will be necessary to use mechanical means: to catch insects with an adhesive tape that is used to catch flies, from time to time to wash the foliage under running water.

How to get rid of whitefly folk remedies

If single individuals are found, garlic tincture will come to the rescue. To prepare it, you will need to grind 100 g of garlic, boil 500 ml of water and pour the chopped agent. To make the infusion concentrated, you will need to insist in a dark place for a week. A concentrated infusion is not suitable for spraying, it can lead to leaf burns. To reduce the percentage, you will need to dilute the solution with water at a percentage of 5 g per 1 liter of water.

In case of mass infection, one garlic - “there is no warrior in the field”, dandelion will come to the rescue. You will need to take fresh dandelion leaves weighing 50 g, roots - 40 g, chop and put in a container. Pour 1 liter of boiled water and let stand for 2 hours. Before use, the product must be filtered. If one treatment is not enough, the second is carried out 7 days after the first.

In addition to the treatment with infusion of garlic and dandelion, it is important to use additional means of struggle. A good effect was shown by the use of laundry soap. You will need to dissolve the soap in water, after rubbing it on a grater, moisten a rag in the resulting solution and wipe the leaves of the plants with it.

You need to wipe the underside of the leaf, since it is from below that colonies of whiteflies settle.

Wonder Trap

Whiteflies, unlike other pests, love the color yellow. It is desirable to take this fact into account and direct it against the insects themselves. As an additional tool, you need to hang traps, both for flies and handmade ones.

To make a miracle trap, you need to take a strip of cardboard, grease it with something sticky yellow, such as petroleum jelly, rosin, resin or castor oil. The smell, of course, is unpleasant, but in this way pests can be dealt with.

Prevention

To reduce the likelihood of whiteflies appearing on indoor plants, it is not recommended to bring bouquets of flowers made from garden plants into the house, since in the summer the whitefly appears in the house in this way.

Inspection of a flower from a store

It is clear that one cannot do without airing the room, but insects fly into the house through the window, so the windows must be protected. When buying a new plant in a flower shop, it is important to carefully inspect it for unexpected guests, and in the house to put it separately from other indoor flowers so that it adapts.

How to detect thrips on indoor plants

At home, you can notice thrips on indoor plants: how to deal with small insects that settle on violets, ficuses, citrus fruits, begonias and roses and their population is more than 2000 varieties?

You can recognize thrips by description. These are small pests with an elongated yellow body. Sometimes you can meet individuals with a dark brown and black body. Adult specimens have a pair of wings.
The larvae are rather small in size, with a body length not exceeding 1 mm. To understand that these are thrips, you can take a good look at him, they jump. There are minor differences between males and females and they consist in the fact that females look slimmer and their body is shorter than that of males.

They settle on the vegetative parts of plants, feed on juice from leaves, stems of flowers. The danger lies in the fact that they multiply rapidly. After laying eggs, after 10 days numerous colonies of pests appear. But they become adults after a month.

Thrips on indoor flowers

You can understand that thrips are present on plants by discolored areas on the foliage. In addition, all foliage will be strewn with through punctures - black dots. Brown and dark spots will be clearly visible on the lower part of the leaf plate.

In the process of life, thrips leave behind sticky secretions, which not only spoil the appearance of the plant, but are also a breeding ground for the development of fungal diseases.

How to get rid of thrips on houseplants

It is very difficult to fight with thrips, he will not give up so easily, you need to be prepared for this.
Getting rid of the pest should begin with hygiene procedures. First you need to inspect all instances of indoor flowers for infection with thrips. Sick plants will have to be moved to the bathroom and rinsed thoroughly in the shower.

With a massive defeat, you will first have to remove all adults, this can be done with a vacuum cleaner. Next, you need to get rid of the larvae, they can be removed with cotton swabs. On examination, you will have to remove all damaged foliage, cut flowers. If a large part is damaged, you will have to completely cut the stem to a healthy part.

During pest control, first of all, it is necessary to cut off all the flowers, not sparing, since most of the adults settle in them, because flowers are liked not only by people, but also by insects.

In addition, the plant spends a lot of energy on flowering, which means that, spending energy, a weakened flower may soon die. Chemical treatment affects the flowers, and they lose their attractiveness. After processing, you will need to remove the plant from the old pot, transplant into new soil. The place where the flower stood will also need to be treated with chemicals.

Preparatory measures will not free from pests, it is necessary to apply insecticide treatment.
To combat thrips, Aktelik, Fitoverm and Agravertin are used. In order for "Fitoverm" to give a positive result, you need to know that spraying with a diluted agent is effective only at room temperatures above + 20 ° C. For a better result, you can add a drop of liquid soap or shampoo to the solution. In addition to these drugs, you can use "Intavir", "Karate", "Confidor". The treatment should be repeated after 1 week.

Thrips develop when the soil is kept dry for a long time. To prevent the appearance of insects, it is required to regularly check the soil and water as needed.
Plants love the shower, so you need to give them a rain bath more often. Sticky tapes can be hung near flower pots, which will allow you to catch insects that accidentally enter the house.

How to detect a tick

The insect is so small that it cannot be seen with the naked eye, except perhaps under a microscope. At first, it is impossible to understand that a tick has appeared on the plant. Only after some time on the underside of the foliage you can see a thin silver cobweb. Over time, the whole plant will be wrapped in this cobweb.

Settling on a plant, the mite pierces the leaf with its thin and long proboscis and sucks out all the nutrients and juice from the flowers. The area around the puncture eventually becomes discolored or acquires a yellow tint. Over time, many points merge together and form a continuous dark spot.
Punctures lead to diseases of the plant, it weakens and may die. Ticks are especially fond of young leaves and shoots. Almost all indoor plants suffer from ticks: roses, violets, fuchsias, ficuses, hibiscuses.

Many flower growers are afraid to carry out mite treatment on plants with fleecy leaves. Do not be afraid, as all types of indoor flowers respond well to chemical treatment.

How to fight at home

Spider flare wound up on indoor plants: how to deal with if insects are among those pests that quickly get used to a certain type of acaricide. That is, if spraying with one preparation is carried out, then the next generation of ticks will have a stable immunity to the chemical agent. Therefore, during processing, it is necessary to constantly alternate acaricides.

Ticks love low humidity along with high room temperatures. This environment is favorable for their reproduction. A special peak in the increase in the population occurs in the summer months, when the weather is hot.

Decorative fountain among indoor flowers

Many flower growers for preventive purposes recommend frequently spraying the foliage of plants. However, practice has shown that frequent spraying does not give a positive result, since water evaporates very quickly from the leaves. A way out can be found if you buy artificial air humidifiers: decorative fountains. If the family budget is limited, you can independently increase the humidity in the room by placing saucers with water near the plants or hanging batteries with wet towels. In conditions of high humidity, the tick population will not increase at such a rate.

Plants need a hot shower, but on one condition that it will be short-lived. It will not harm the flowers, but it will scald the ticks. The water temperature during processing should be within + 45-48 ° C. When arranging a hot shower, you need to try to get a stream of water on the underside of the leaves.

Ways to fight on flowers

Biological, chemical and folk methods of dealing with harmful insects are common among flower growers.

Biological

Under natural conditions, the threat to the spider mite is phytoseiulus - a large mite. It is clear that at home it is impossible to breed another individual, but it can be used if indoor plants are grown in crop farms.

Chemical

The spider mite quickly gets used to the drugs, so the fight with insecticides will not bring the desired result, you will have to use acaricides:

Contact acaricides are the most suitable for home control of mites.

There are many different ways to control pests. And first of all, the preparation of solutions is based on odorous plants. But the use of folk remedies is not always effective, pests still continue to multiply rapidly.

A pest called whitefly affects houseplants: balsams, begonias, geraniums, gerberas and gloxinia. Orchids, fuchsias, indoor pomegranates and dwarf tomatoes suffer from insects.

The whitefly spreads from one infected plant to all indoor flowers. If larvae or flying individuals of this pest are found on one representative of the ornamental flora, the following measures are taken:

Important! The whitefly cannot be removed the first time - it will require re-treatment after 5-7 days. Folk remedies do not harm ornamental plants.

Folk methods for indoor flowers

The first stage of exposure to folk remedies is a thorough rubbing of the leaves. For this you need:

Peculiarity! The drug should not be whipped into foam and allowed to enter the soil.

In the list of simple and reliable mixtures against whiteflies - infusions of garlic or tobacco. For the first one you need:

1. Mince 3 garlic cloves.
2. Pour 1 liter of water into the raw material and let it brew for a day in a dark place.
3. Spray the infected leaves with the infusion.

For tobacco infusion, you should:

1. Take 1 pack of cigarettes and grind tobacco.
2. Pour raw materials with 1 liter of water and put in a dark place for 5 days.
3. Strain the finished infusion and spray it on the diseased plant.

The procedure is repeated every 5-7 days to destroy whiteflies at all stages of development.

Glue traps and tapes

In between treatments of indoor plants with folk or industrial pest control products, special traps are used. These devices are a piece of cardboard on which there is a layer of a substance that is safe for humans, but attractive to whiteflies.

Traps are easy to make yourself. To do this, cut small pieces of thick cardboard and impregnate them with a mixture of:

• vaseline;
• castor oil;
• honey;
• rosin.

When the blanks are dry, they are placed on the holder next to the pots.

Important! Similar tools are also used in greenhouses - one product (10 × 10 cm) is enough for 10 square meters. m. area.

Traps can be supplemented with sticky tapes for flies if placed in a window opening above containers with plants.

Fumigator

Fumigating devices with plates or liquid, used to control mosquitoes, will also help to deal with whiteflies. A number of conditions must be met:

• place fumigators next to plants;
• isolate the room with infected flowers (windows and doors);
• remove children and animals from the room.

Vapors from plates and liquids become poisonous at high concentrations, so the room should be thoroughly ventilated after the procedure. While the fumigators are working, being near them is dangerous to health.

Fighting with chemicals

The following chemicals are suitable for the extermination of whiteflies:

Important! Chemical means of influencing the whitefly is the only and truly effective way to defeat this insect. Folk drugs are intended only to provide emergency assistance in case of infection, as well as to act as a means of prevention.

How to destroy manually?

Peculiarity! Manual pest control also includes a daily inspection of the infected plant and flowers that are on the same windowsill with it. When found, adults and larvae should be crushed immediately.

How to deal with biological means?

Among the biological preparations that effectively affect the whitefly, experts distinguish:

What does a whitefly look like?

The development cycle of an insect takes place in the following stages:

1. Adults lay ring-shaped eggs on the leaves of domestic plants.
2. The eggs hatch into larvae, mobile, secreting a dense substance for protection from external influences and fixing in their habitat.
3. The larvae form cocoons in which the organs of future adult insects are laid.
4. Individuals emerge from cocoons, attach to the leaves of the plant and begin to actively feed.

Description

Outwardly, the whitefly has the appearance of a small moth with the following characteristics:

• body length - about 0.9 mm;
• the color of the body of an adult is yellow, the wings are white, without spots and inclusions;
• the head is equipped with thin light yellow antennae.

Of the 200 species of whiteflies, decorative flora is harmed by:

Basically, the danger to domestic flowers is the greenhouse whitefly, which actively breeds in a favorable (warm and humid) atmosphere.

A photo

In the photo you can clearly see the plants on which whiteflies settled:

Adult whiteflies are small, but you can see them, especially when insects gather in swarms. The larvae are visible traces of their life, which remain on the leaves.

Causes of appearance on plants

• the presence of a favorable habitat (high humidity and significant heat);
• the spread of pests from a diseased plant or by transplanting flowers into soil infected with larvae;
• entry of adults through the window;
• movement of the pest from a room greenhouse in which cuttings and seedlings took root.

Signs of infection in indoor flowers

Visually, whitefly infection is detected by the following manifestations:

If these symptoms appear, you should not only immediately isolate the affected plant, but also check the condition of neighboring bushes.

• exclusion of stagnation of water in the pans under the pots after watering;
• placement of plants at a distance from each other, avoiding increased crowding;
• quarantine up to 7 days for each new flower;
• regular disposal of bushes from dead branches, dried leaves and inflorescences;
• keeping the plant in conditions of regular ventilation;
• use only proven or carefully sterilized soil;
• shower days - regular rubbing of the leaves and washing them under running cool water;
• the use of growth stimulants and fertilizers.

The health of ornamental plants depends on how well the owner takes care of them. Proper growing conditions, attentive attitude to the slightest changes in condition, properly applied top dressing - all this is the key to the health of flowers.