How to get rid of whiteflies on indoor flowers

Many houseplant lovers will sooner or later encounter such a pest as whitefly. This small butterfly poses a serious danger not only to domestic, but also to garden crops. She eats the sap of plants, causing their death. A large accumulation of insects can destroy the plant in just a few weeks. Therefore, only timely struggle with the whitefly will help to avoid trouble and save "green friends".

Insect features

Before considering methods of control, you should find out what a whitefly looks like. The insect belongs to the Aleuridides family, which includes more than 1,500 types of agricultural pests. So there is cabbage, strawberry, citrus, greenhouse and tobacco whitefly.

This article will focus on the greenhouse or greenhouse whitefly. It harms not only greenhouse crops, but also indoor plants. The insect is a small butterfly up to 2-3 mm, very similar to aphids. Its wings are covered with a white flour-like coating (photo of the whitefly is posted below). The insect reproduces quite actively. The female lays eggs on the inside of the leaf of a houseplant. And after 10-12 days, larvae appear, which after 2 weeks turn into adults. It is at this stage of development that insects are most dangerous, because due to the strong cocoon they are resistant to various chemical preparations.

At the end of the process of becoming an adult white midge begins to actively eat and mate. This moment is the best option for fighting whitefly, since an already formed organism is more susceptible to insecticidal preparations.

Signs of plant infection

The presence of whiteflies can be detected by the following signs:

• Larvae prefer to settle on the lower part of the leaf plate, there are also whitefly eggs;
• Detect presence house plant pest if you shake the plant slightly, a whole swarm of fluttering butterflies will appear;
• Another symptom of plant infection is a shiny sticky coating - this is how the waste products that adult and whitefly larvae leave;
• Gray or black spots on the leaves of the plant indicate the presence of whiteflies. This is nothing more than a sooty mushroom, the occurrence of which provoked insect excrement;
• Yellowed and twisted leaves, slow growth and signs of wilting plants.

Often a whitefly settles in a house on indoor flowers, it can be found on fuchsia, geranium, pelargonium or hibiscus. The pest also starts on balsam and pomegranate.Midges are not averse to garden crops, she prefers to settle: on strawberries, celery, potatoes, tomato or cabbage.

What insects start from

The main cause of pest infection is improper care. This is what creates favorable conditions for the appearance and spread of white midges. Therefore, it will not be out of place for every grower and gardener to know at what temperature the whitefly dies.

1. The pest prefers to live in a warm and constantly humid climate, so quite often greenhouses and greenhouses are subject to its attacks.
2. Air temperatures below 10 degrees are harmful to larvae and adults, while eggs can tolerate minor frosts.

How to get rid of a pest

The question of how to get rid of whiteflies on indoor plants is asked by many flower growers. After all, “green friends” not only create a cozy atmosphere in the house, but also purify the air. There are various methods for controlling whiteflies. They are conditionally divided into the following groups:

• Chemicals;
• Folk remedies;
• Midge traps and fumigators.

All these methods of fighting whiteflies are effective in their own way, and they need to be selected based on the degree of damage to the plant itself.

Chemicals

Purchased means of an insecticidal composition can get rid of white midges in a few hours. Spraying with a toxic substance promotes its penetration into the juice of the plant, which subsequently drinks the pest. However, such a procedure is not always useful to the "patient" himself.

The following whitefly preparations are very popular among consumers:

• Aktara - highly active poison, which is used to water the root of the plant. As a result, all the stems and leaves receive a sufficient amount of an aggressive component. For the flower itself, the tool is completely safe, but for larvae and adults it is destructive. Insects who feast on such a “treat” die immediately. In especially neglected cases, in addition to watering, it is necessary to apply spraying of the green parts of the plant;
• Spark - a preparation of insecticidal composition, which is liquid, powdery, in the form of tablets and sticks. The poison is used to water and process infected flowers. The advantage of the tool is a long period of action (more than 20 days). Therefore, it is often necessary to deal with a pest with a single use of this tool;
• Akarin - Another effective tool that helps to remove not only whiteflies. Aphids, spider mites and other plant pests also die from it. The tool is used for spraying, as a result of which the poison enters the body of pests in direct contact with food;
• Fitoverm - An insecticide that destroys many insects is no exception to a whitefly pest. The drug is able to kill not only adults, but also their offspring in just 1-2 sprays. It is better to poison them with pests when the plant has not begun to bloom.

Folk remedies

Less toxic are folk remedies for whiteflies. They do not pose a health hazard to young children and pets, who often touch the flower.

Mechanical way

The easiest way to get rid of whiteflies at home is to regularly inspect the plants, and wipe their leaves with water and a sponge. This method is acceptable only for indoor flowers, and can significantly reduce the number of both adults and their larvae.

On a note!

Those plants whose leaves cannot be washed, must be sprayed with chemical or folk remedies. Processing the windowsill, glasses and pots will not be superfluous.

Temperature effect

Lowering the temperature in the room is another effective method of getting rid of insects.However, the whitefly cannot be completely killed - the cold has no effect on the eggs of the pest. Therefore, plants will need to undergo a second procedure.

Tobacco infusion

If whitefly settled on indoor flowers, tobacco will help get rid of it. This is the best remedy for many insect pests. It is enough to take a pack of strong cigarettes and gut the tobacco from them. Then pour a liter of hot water, and insist for 5 days. Tobacco infusion is filtered and plants are sprayed with it 2-3 times a day.

Dandelion Flask

You can fight whiteflies with the help of dandelion, which often grows in the garden. The leaves, together with the rhizomes of the plant, are crushed and filled with water in the ratio of 80 g of grass per liter of water. Insist for 4 days, after which it is filtered. The resulting infusion is used as midge remedy for spraying infected plants. After 6-7 days, treatment should be repeated.

Soap solution

If a whitefly has settled on flowers, then in order to get rid of it, it is necessary to process the leaves of indoor plants with a solution of laundry soap. It is rubbed on a fine grater and dissolved in water in a ratio of 1: 6. The resulting mixture is whipped into a foam and used as intended.

Garlic infusion

Another defense against whiteflies is garlic. An infusion is made from it, with which infected plants are sprayed. For its preparation, 3 cloves of garlic are chopped, poured with 1 liter of water and insisted for a day. For maximum effect, the treatment must be repeated several times.

Yarrow infusion

Yarrow also helps fight pest. The solution prepared from its leaves is used to treat greenery affected by the pest. The infusion is prepared on the basis of 1 g of water 90 g of leaves.

Wood ash

Many gardeners amateurs use wood ash to combat whiteflies. 1 cup of the drug is diluted in 5 liters of water, and insisted for 3-4 hours. Then add 50 g of laundry soap. The resulting solution must be treated with infected flowers.

Ammonia

No less effective means of combating the pest is ammonia. It is used in a proportion of 1 tbsp. l 9 l of water for spraying greenhouse seedlings. In a residential building, the use of such a solution is contraindicated.

Traps

Whitefly control tools such as traps are designed to kill only adults. The principle of their action is based on the use of glue or sticky film. You can even make a trap yourself. It is enough to apply liquid glue to the cardboard sheet, which would not dry for a long time and have no specific smell. To attract insects, such designs are painted in bright colors.

You can also deal with the pest using petroleum jelly or castor oil, which is used instead of glue. Having made a small hole in such a trap, it is suspended above the plant with a thin wire. And if you attach a rigid support to the structure, then it can be installed in a flower pot. A bright surface will attract pests, but when it comes in contact with it, insects will no longer be able to free themselves and will die.

Fumigator

One of the effective funds from midges in the apartment is a fumigator. It is an electric device into which a container with a special liquid is inserted or a plate impregnated with harmful substances for insects. By plugging the device into a power outlet, the plate begins to heat up, and the liquid evaporates. So vapors get into the air that help get rid of whiteflies. The duration of such a procedure does not exceed 1 hour. The windows and doors in the room during the operation of the fumigator must be tightly closed, it is not recommended to be indoors at such a moment.

Prevention

Since it is not always easy to deal with whitefly, it is better not to allow the appearance of such a pest. Insects will not be able to start if the following preventive measures are taken.

1. It is necessary to exclude moisture stagnation in pallets after watering.
2. To prevent excessive crowding of "green friends" - they should be at some distance from each other.
3. To each newly acquired plant arrange a weekly quarantine.
4. Regular sanitary cleaning is the key to a healthy plant. It is necessary to remove all plant debris in a timely manner, cut off dried shoots, leaves and inflorescences.
5. Ventilate the room regularly.
6. The soil mixture or soil brought from a forest or garden must be sterilized.
7. Use growth stimulants (Domotsvet, Epin) and fertilizers. An example of this can be ammonium nitrate, made on the basis of nitric acid and ammonia.
8. Periodically arrange indoor days for indoor plants: wipe their leaves and "wash" in the shower.

Such recommendations will help prevent the emergence and spread of pests, and therefore do not die your "green friends". If the whitefly nevertheless managed to settle in your apartment or greenhouse, you need to get rid of it as quickly as possible.