Whitefly on indoor plants (23 photos): how to get rid of white midges on flowers at home

How to get rid of a whitefly

To get rid of the whitefly, you also need to carry out comprehensive measures for the destruction of adult insects and larvae 3-4 times with an interval of one week.

Whitefly leaf

Damage: Whiteflies themselves do not harm the plant, but their excrement can cause sooty fungi on the lower leaves, which can severely damage the flower. In addition, white midges can infect the plant with a viral infection. On the right is a photo of a leaf affected by a white wing.

Control methods

Step 1. First you need to catch all adult flies. This can be done in the following ways:

Place the special or homemade traps described in the first instruction.
Vacuum all the midges.
Pour the jam in a saucer, place it next to the pot and wait until the whiteflies flock to the bait and get stuck in it.
In the morning, create a slight coolness in the room where the flowers are located, for example, by turning off the batteries or opening a window. The lowered temperature will prevent the flies from taking off. Then follow the procedure described below.

Step 2. Once most of the adult whiteflies are caught, take the plant to the bathrooms and rinse the leaves of any remaining insects, eggs and nymphs.

Step 3. Now treat the plant by watering and spraying with solutions of systemic insecticides (Actellik, Confidor, Mospilan or Fufanon), and then create a toxic greenhouse by closing the plant in a plastic bag for 4-5 hours.

If there are not so many whiteflies, then instead of special products, you can use the garlic infusion described in the first instruction.

Step 4. If desired, transplant the plant into uninfected soil and discard the contaminated soil.

There is another way to kill whitefly in indoor flowers. If the infected plant can tolerate temperatures below 14 degrees, then just leave it in this cool for a week or more. Unable to withstand the low temperature, the whitefly and its larvae will die.

Control measures

How to get rid of pests? This question haunts many indoor plant lovers. Fight pests in really different ways. For example:

Mechanical.
With the help of biologicals.
With the help of chemical control agents.
Based on folk recipes.

Pests of indoor plants and the fight against them, plant protection, how to get rid of

Mechanical method

This is an environmentally friendly, simple and affordable way to fight parasites on your own. To do this, you need to take a tool, preferably disinfected, and cut off the damaged parts of the plants. It is better to treat the cut sites with activated carbon. Pests that can be seen with the naked eye can be easily picked out with your hands, unless there are many plants and pests.

Folk remedies

Many lovers of indoor plants, to protect them from various insects, as well as in cases of their diseases, prefer folk remedies. These funds have been tested for many decades, so you should not doubt their effectiveness. Decoctions prepared on the basis of plants such as chamomile, nettle, yarrow, dandelion or marigold are absolutely harmless to humans and plants. The same effect is possessed by solutions prepared on the basis of garlic and onions. The prepared solutions are simply sprayed on the plants, almost every day.

Alternatively, you can use citrus peels, which you just need to dig into the ground. The smell of these components is not tolerated by many parasites that want to settle on indoor plants.

Solutions based on wood ash, furacillin, soda or potassium permanganate work no less effectively in this direction. You just need to properly prepare the solution, after which the plants are sprayed with a spray bottle.

Biological method

Biological preparations differ in that they act only on certain types of pests and are safe in relation to humans and pets. Despite this, the working composition must be prepared correctly and used correctly. For example:

The solution is prepared strictly according to the instructions.
After processing, the plant should dry out.
The room needs to be well ventilated.

For such purposes, you can use such means of struggle as "Agrovertin", "Fitoverm" or "Iskra-Bio".

Chemical method

Chemicals are highly effective, so in a short period of time it is possible to get rid of all pests. The only problem is their toxicity, which is dangerous for both humans and pets. Such drugs are best used in extreme cases, especially since they cannot always be used.

Means such as "Chlorofos", "Pyrethrum", "Karbofos" and others will help to quickly rid plants of harmful insects.

The fight against harmful insects is a responsible event that allows you to preserve houseplants in their original beauty.

How to get rid of pests in pots and indoor plants!

Whitefly control measures

Biological methods of fighting whitefly

Recently, biological methods of fighting whitefly have become more and more widespread. One of them is the placement of pupae of the encarsia parasite in greenhouses. The female of this small insect lays its eggs in the body of the whitefly larva. Moreover, the effectiveness of this method is very high.

Also, the predatory bug macrolophus is used to combat the whitefly.

Whitefly chemicals

Common insecticides are effective against whitefly. It should be noted that it is dangerous to be in a room for a long time where plants were treated with insecticides. Also during processing it is necessary to use protective equipment: respirator, goggles, gloves, overalls.

Actellic. Dissolve the ampoule in 1 liter of water and treat it during the appearance of the pest. Solution consumption up to 2 liters per 10 sq.m. No more than 4 treatments. The waiting period is 3 days.
Verticillin Zh - 25 ml per 1 liter of water. Twice spraying with an interval of 7-10 days.
Confidor (20% VRK) 0.1 ml per 1 liter of water. Single spraying.
Mospilan (20% RP) - 0.05-0.06 g. Single spraying.
Pegasus (25% EC) - 2 ml per 1 liter of water. Twice spraying with an interval of 7 days.
Fufanon (57% EC) - 1.2-1.5 ml. Single spraying.
Fosbecid Dilute 5 ml per 5 liters of water, consumption - 100 sq. m.

Whitefly. Jonathan Michaelson

Folk remedies for whitefly

Glue traps can be used to catch adults. To do this, take pieces of plywood or hardboard, paint them yellow or white and grease them with petroleum jelly, rosin with honey or castor oil. Insects, attracted by bright yellow or white (preferably yellow) color, sit on these lures and stick. When there are a lot of them on a piece of plywood, it is wiped and again greased with the same solution. You can also use glue fly traps.

Whiteflies do not like dropping temperatures, so you can move the plant to a cooler room. Since whiteflies fly, they can be caught with sticky tapes (available at fly shops).

You can use folk remedies, for example, herbal infusions against insects - they are sprayed with plants. Infusion of garlic is comparatively effective. Chopped garlic cloves (150-170 g) pour 1 liter of water and leave in a tightly sealed container for five days. For spraying, 6 g of concentrate diluted in 1 liter of water is enough. Keep in mind that folk remedies can help if there are not too many pests.

Try rinsing the plant with clean water - whiteflies rinse well. After this procedure, it is necessary to loosen the top layer of soil in the pot.

Diseases and pests

Why fuchsia withers in a pot is usually to blame for fungal and viral diseases:

The rot makes the leaves underdeveloped and pale, falling off easily.
Rust first appears on the underside of the leaf as orange-brown spore spots. Then it goes to the top surface. Fuchsia leaves begin to brown or turn yellow, fall off.
The botrytis blight fungus identifies itself as a greyish brown mold. Then the flowers become spotty and colorless. The kidneys begin not to open and rot. Leaves and stems wither.
The verticillium wilt fungus causes the leaves to wilt, curl, discolor, and die. It differs from other mushrooms in that in a mild climate, when the heat has not yet gained momentum, one can suspect its existence when faced with withered or withered specimens.

Important! It is very difficult to cope with any fungus.

In order not to have to treat the plant, it is recommended to pay special attention to the planting process. The use of fungicides is really effective for the planting material, since very small areas are treated at this time.

The probability that spraying with the drug will not penetrate even a millimeter of the surface under the leaf or in the axils of the stems is practically 0.

Fuchsia leaves fall, what should I do? A prerequisite for flower treatment is steaming the soil and removing the remnants of dead or cut plants of any kind growing in the neighborhood.

When planting fuchsia in the warm season in open ground, everything becomes more complicated. The only currently available way to combat the fungus of verticillium wilting is to warm the soil:

Dig up the ground.
Moisten it with water.
Cover with transparent film and bury the edges.

Fungus-affected plant

If there is at least 3 weeks (preferably 5) of bright sun and high temperature, the fungus will die. To reduce the spread of this disease, the affected plants are destroyed, and only resistant species are planted in their place. Silver-plated leaves, droppings, discolored petals are signs of vital activity in tiny thrips. Aphids, whiteflies and other suckers leave similar traces - sticky, stunted leaves, as if tending to curl up into a small ball.

How to deal with whitefly

Flying insects are always a big threat because they spread easily in greenhouses and around the house.

Therefore, as soon as it became clear that the whitefly is harming your flowers, pay close attention to all plants. Look at the axils of the leaves and the back of the leaf, at home, for reliability, it is better to process all the plants that you have

In the garden, the first thing to do is to weed out large weeds, especially the whitefly loves to settle on celandine bushes.

Fortunately, whitefly can be fought with systemic drugs - these are Aktara, Confidor, Tanrek, Apaches. When watering with a potting soil solution, these insecticides are absorbed and distributed throughout the plant's vascular system. Pests suck out the juice, get poisoned and die. But for greater reliability, it is necessary to simultaneously water the ground under the plants and spray the leaves. You need to know that systemic drugs (Aktara, Confidor, Tanrek, Apaches) do not have ovicidal activity - they are not effective if there is a non-feeding stage on the plant - pest larvae. And the duration of the whitefly egg stage is on average 10-26 days (in the temperature range 18-22 ° C). Also, aktara (and other systemic species) does not act on the larvae of the 4th instar whitefly - the pupa (puparium), since they do not yet feed on the sap of the leaves. Therefore, the treatment for whitefly must be repeated after 2-3 days at home (when the temperature is above 20-22 ° C.In the garden at a temperature of about 15-17 ° C (it is always colder at night), spraying should be repeated after 5-7 days, since the development cycle is longer. But if the weather is very hot, then it is necessary to spray against the whitefly in the garden or vegetable garden after 3-5 days. If necessary, carry out three to four treatments.

Insecticides from whitefly enteric actions: fufan, karbofos, agravertin, acarin, actellik, inta-vir, bona forte, decis, inta-vir, mospilan, fitoverm, pegasus, fosbecid, tarzan, etc. (see preparations).

Remove affected and yellowed leaves in a timely manner. It is also advisable to hang ordinary sticky fly traps near the plants. And if conditions allow (there are no children, animals and an aquarium in the house), spraying dichlorvos or a round-the-clock fumigator from flies and mosquitoes helps to cope with flying insects (isolate the plants on the balcony for 2 days or close them in the bathroom when you go to work and turn on the fumigator.

Myrtus: “Last year I grew Balcony Miracle tomatoes, it really is a miracle! We had a decent harvest, all the plants were just strewn with bunches, each piece with 10 fruits the size of a mirabelle. There were a lot of seedlings, but the tomatoes were attacked by a whitefly, within 3 days it spread to all plants. A solution of green soap with onion infusion helped. Sprayed abundantly with this solution, while the berries were green, the whitefly disappeared for the rest of the summer. "

Where does whitefly come from (causes of appearance)

The ideal conditions for the development of the pest are heat and moisture. There are especially many of them during humid and hot weather. Their eggs remain viable on cold-resistant plants with leaves at a temperature of 0 ° C. At a temperature of -3 ° C, they die after 15 days, at -6 ° C - after 5 days. Hence the conclusion that the lower the air temperature, the faster the eggs of the insect die. Adult individuals - butterflies die already at a temperature of + 10 ° C.

The whitefly is a flying insect, and it can enter a room through an open window or window. But most often it enters the seedlings through non-disinfected soil, which is the main reason for its appearance on plants. This is not only land taken from the beds, but also bought in the store. Therefore, before sowing seeds in the ground, regardless of where you took it, it is necessary to disinfect it in any way.

The most comfortable conditions for development are high humidity or frequent watering, as well as thickened plantings and lack of ventilation.

You can bring the pest into your home or greenhouse with the help of a new flower you just bought from the store. Therefore, new indoor plants should not be immediately placed next to seedlings or other flowers. Leave them in a separate room for a month, and only if there is no pest, then bring them into the house and place them next to other plants.

Whitefly chemicals

To combat pests of indoor plants, there are systemic preparations. The soil is poured in a pot with a solution, the roots absorb the poison. After a while, the poisoned composition will spread throughout the flower, and the pest will die if it eats greens or juices.

For this method, you can apply:

Tanrek;
"Aktaru";
"Confidor".

With the help of systemic insecticides, you can destroy the larvae that feed on the flower sap. In the pupal stage, the insect does not eat anything, the pest can only be destroyed with preparations of intestinal action. Alternate treatment with insecticides that accumulate in the tissues of the plant, and preparations that act when the insect comes into contact with the integument.

For spraying against pests at any stage of development, you can apply:

Inta-Vir;
Fitoverm;
Akarin.

When using any chemical agent, read the instructions carefully. If you are going to eat some parts of an indoor flower or for medicinal purposes, look for how long poisonous compounds remain in the tissues.

Pay attention to whether the insecticide can be used indoors, how dangerous it is for people and pets. It is better to start the treatment with the least toxic preparation Fitoverm, and only if you do not get the desired effect, move on to stronger products

It is recommended to process the plants every week, but the preparations are different; some brand may have a completely different spraying pattern. Read the instructions carefully, it says it all. If you want the fight against whitefly to give the maximum effect, carry out the treatment at an air temperature in the room above + 20⁰ C. In a cool room, the effectiveness of toxic substances becomes lower.

Signs of infection

The pest appears in the greenhouse or house unnoticed. There are many ways that he can use this.

Where do white-winged flies come from in an apartment?

Buying infected plants from a greenhouse or store. Butterflies and larvae, especially if they are few, are difficult to see on the leaves.
In the warm season, a moth can fly through the window or through the window. The mosquito net does not interfere with it, since it is very small.
Transfer with contaminated soil. Eggs overwinter well in soil. In the spring, getting into the heat, they transform into larvae. After that, they look for a source of nutrition, and continue to develop.

At first, it is difficult to notice a settlement of white-winged flies. The problem becomes apparent at the stage of significant pest spread. The more there are, the more difficult it is to deal with them. There are a number of signs indicating that it's time to start thinking about how to get rid of whitefly on indoor flowers and seedlings.

Signs of plant infection

The bush slows down development, the foliage turns yellow and begins to fall off. There is a noticeable lag in growth.
If you turn the leaf plate over, a sticky, shiny coating is visible. It is a honeydew, a waste product of an insect.
On the back of the leaf, you can see clusters of larvae and eggs in the form of translucent small scales.
If you touch the bush, small flies fly up above it.
The appearance of whitish spots on the leaf plate. They later turn black. This develops a sooty fungus, which most often accompanies honeydew.

These signs indicate that a dangerous pest has appeared in the house. It is omnivorous, therefore it settles on any houseplants. However, there are flowers that he especially loves. These are begonia, fuchsia, violets, hydrangea. He also likes young seedlings, especially tomato, cabbage, cucumber. They should be carefully inspected on a regular basis.

Instagram seedsimportru

Instagram gardenmirosha

How to deal with whitefly on indoor flowers: folk methods

The use of chemicals is by far the most extreme measure. For this reason, many home flower lovers are trying to solve this problem in more gentle ways.

Diseased plants must be isolated from others. Then, parts that are damaged should be cut off from them. The soil needs to be replaced.

Flower pots should be left in a room where the temperature and humidity are lower. The fact is that if the temperature drops below 10 degrees, then the vital activity of whiteflies is suspended. Adult insects die. And the development of the larvae stops. Plants that tolerate cold easily can be left under open windows without any harm. Alternatively, they should be brought to the balcony. A few days spent there is quite enough.

The vacuum cleaner is an effective remedy for whitefly on indoor flowers. With its help, parasites should be collected. You can place the pots of infected plants under the shower or in the bathroom. The main thing is that the water is cold. If you thoroughly wash the affected areas, a significant part of the pests will be washed away or destroyed.

Laundry soap

To process flowers, it is worth preparing a soapy solution. You will need 1 tablespoon of laundry soap, previously grated, and 6 liters of water at room temperature. The main thing is that the resulting mixture does not fall into the ground during the procedure.

Garlic

Garlic tincture will kill the whitefly. You will need 3 crushed cloves and a liter of water.During the day, the mixture should be infused in the dark. Then it needs to be filtered. You can start spraying sick plants.

Tobacco

Makhorka, or strong cigarettes, will help get rid of pests. One pack is required to prepare the mixture. It should be mixed with a liter of hot water. The solution is infused for five days in a dark room. After that, you need to strain it and start spraying.

Dichlorvos bottle

Dichlorvos is very effective against harmful insects. The flower pot must be placed in a large plastic bag. Then a piece of cotton wool, treated with a product, is placed there. The bag should be tied and left on the balcony. Any non-residential premises are also suitable. The procedure takes 4-5 hours. Then the pot is removed from the bag. It should be washed and dried.

It is important to observe the plant for the first time.

Fumigators effectively deal with whitefly

Some home flower lovers recommend using fumigators against midges and mosquitoes. To carry out such processing, you need to close the doors and windows. Turn on the device closer to diseased plants and leave the room. People and animals should not be there. Otherwise, there is a high probability of poisoning.

It is obvious that traditional methods of dealing with harmful insects are less effective in comparison with chemical ones. Often, a single procedure is not enough. It will lead to the death of adults. However, eggs and larvae are unlikely to be harmed. That is why you need to process indoor plants several times. The interval must be at least 5 days. It is worth noting that folk remedies are harmless.

Prophylaxis

How to get rid of midges - ways to fight

The best way to get rid of the disease is to avoid it. To make it as difficult for midges to attack indoor plants as possible, a number of rules must be followed. They do not give a 100% guarantee, but they significantly increase the chances of plants remaining unharmed.

Preventive measures usually relate to agricultural practices, but some of them may be of a different nature and aimed at changing the environment.

Moderate watering

Spraying the top of the plant

In general, it can be noted that abundant watering, leading to waterlogging, is harmful to most indoor plants. Most often, plant owners make mistakes with watering in the fall, continuing to water their pets in the "summer" mode.

Midges need moist soil to reproduce. Any increase in watering rates leads not only to an increase in the growing season, but also creates favorable conditions for the appearance of uninvited guests on the flowers.

Humidity of air and soil

Midges in flower pots

The places where the flowers are grown should be controlled so that they are in acceptable conditions, since the high humidity of the air can also be harmful, since it promotes the reproduction of midges. If the air or soil (even if the irrigation rates are observed) is excessively humid, care should be taken to dry the room.

As a last resort, it is recommended to move the pots to a different location.

Correct drainage

Expanded clay as drainage

Good drainage is a guarantee that moisture will not stagnate in the roots of the plant. This will not only protect them from decay, but also help in the fight against flies and their larvae.

Quarantine

Pests on indoor plants

Purchased plants should be placed in a kind of quarantine - put them in a separate room for up to 1 month. This will help prevent potential pests (including flower flies) from spreading around your apartment.

Soil loosening

Soil preparation

Remember to loosen the topsoil. Periodic loosening not only enriches the roots with oxygen, but also enables the soil to dry out faster. In addition, larvae in the open air die quickly.During loosening, it is necessary to inspect the soil to find out if small insects or their larvae have bred in it.

It was previously listed which plants are most vulnerable to flower gnats. However, loosening should be done on most ornamental indoor crops.

Keeping the plant clean

Pest control on indoor plants

Fallen leaves and inflorescences should be promptly removed from the surface of the soil in a pot, since rotting residues are an ideal environment for the development of not only insects, but also other pathogenic organisms (viruses, bacteria, fungi).

This also includes the use of the correct feeding.

Any organic matter should be applied under indoor plants with great care. Organic fertilizers of natural origin can contain the larvae of various varieties of midges or earth bugs

They may also contain substances that provoke decay.

In addition, it is not recommended to use tea leaves or coffee grounds as fertilizers. If, however, such fertilizers are used (for example, they are very useful for violets, Kalanchoe and dracaena), they must be dried before use.

Midges in indoor colors. Reasons for the appearance and effective methods of struggle

How to get rid of midges in indoor flowers and plants? TOP 10 Ways Including Folk Remedies | (Photo & Video) + Reviews

10
Total Score

How to deal with midges in indoor flowers

Did our article help you?

How to deal with whitefly

It is very difficult to destroy the whitefly - several stages of the pest live and multiply in the greenhouse at the same time, therefore, among them there are stages that calmly tolerate baiting with chemicals.

Adult whitefly butterflies easily tolerate wintering, hibernating in secluded places or even in the soil. As soon as the soil warms up to positive temperatures, the butterflies come out of their shelters and lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves, preferring young plants, for example, seedlings.

Whitefly eggs are easy to spot by lifting up the leaves to check the undersides of the leaves. Usually whitefly eggs are arranged in the form of translucent rings. After a short period of time, larvae appear from the eggs and begin to suck the juices.

Within 3 weeks, the larvae will intensively feed on plants, migrating from leaf to leaf, and then begin to become covered with a waxy bloom, which makes them look like scale insects. At this time, they merge with the surface of the back of the leaves. It is impossible to wash them off with water, and they are not available for chemicals.

Whitefly prevention

It is easier to keep the whitefly out of the plant than to fight it by the sweat of your brow. It is in the fight against whitefly that the benefits of quarantine measures are revealed. Yes, quarantine is our everything!

We bought flowers in a store - if you please, put the plants in quarantine for two to three weeks, separately from healthy plants. The quarantine will make it possible to verify the presence or absence of whitefly on a new plant.

You cannot transfer diseased plants to the greenhouse in the spring, just as you cannot transfer plants home, after a summer stay in the garden or in the greenhouse - observe at least a short quarantine.

Autumn disinfection of greenhouses, hotbeds and greenhouses, with the complete removal of plant residues, prevents the appearance of whitefly in the best possible way. Pests that have gone for the winter are dying, because they did not count on such a rude intervention.

Disinfection of the soil and deep digging of the soil in November are also useful in the prevention of whitefly. Along the way, it is necessary to remove the roots of weeds around the greenhouse, and around the area where the closed ground structures are installed. Whitefly also reproduces well on weeds, but we do not have the habit of examining them for pests.

In the spring, during the active summer of whitefly butterflies, it makes sense to protect the greenhouse with a fine mesh on windows, transoms, vents and doorways.

Ordinary sticky tape from flies helps well against whitefly butterflies. Whiteflies cling to them in the thousands, immediately becoming good. A good whitefly is known to be a dead whitefly.

Yellow sticky whitefly trap. Photo: Penny's Garden

It has been experimentally found that the whitefly flies best on a bright yellow color, so yellow sticky baits can be used. The traps should be hung in places where whiteflies accumulate - they will happily fly to the yellow trap and stick to it. Some people recommend Bona Forte traps, but in my opinion, you should first try cheap means, and then move on to expensive ones, especially since the result is visible immediately, during the day.

Glue traps for whiteflies are hung near the plants. Photo: Penny's Garden

Gardeners familiar with fire safety rules can light a lamp in the greenhouse at night - insects attracted by the light will fly into the light and burn their wings. The effectiveness is questionable, but you can try as an option.

With a small number of insects, you can try the water method of expelling the whitefly. Plants are sprayed with clean water, especially on the back of the leaves, where the whitefly accumulates. Water knocks insects off plants, they fall to the ground, and on the ground do whatever you want with it. You can simply loosen the soil a couple of centimeters and cover it with peat to destroy the pests.

You can plant several tobacco plants in the greenhouse - the whitefly loves the smell of tobacco very much and flies at it, sticking to the leaves. When a decent company has gathered, you can apply chemicals by spraying only tobacco, and not all the plants in the greenhouse.

By the way, to combat whitefly, you can use a regular fumigator with a fly plate. The fumigator must be installed in a greenhouse or greenhouse. At home, this method is not recommended.

Again, all manipulations with adhesive tape, night light and water spraying are good at the stage of settling the whitefly into your greenhouse or greenhouse. When a disaster has reached epidemic proportions, more effective methods must be used.