White flies can become a serious pest control problem. The can infect vegetables, ornamental plants, greenhouse plants and even houseplants. In greenhouses and warm climates, you might even see generation overlap as a new generation is hatched while the parents are still viable.
The soft-bodied, winged adults look a bit like tiny, white moths when in flight. They can be on the underside of the leaves or in the air around an infected plant. However, the flies you can see in the air are not the one that should concern you. It’s the white fly larvae that are doing the worst damage.
The larvae of the white fly use their piercing mouth parts to puncture the leaf veins or stems and suck out the sap. Adults lay eggs on the undersides of leaves. When they hatch, the larvae have a meal close at hand. The trick for your Brevard County pest control service company to control your white fly problem is to intercept the adults before they can lay eggs.
Natural predators are one of your best aids in controlling and eliminating adult white flies. The hummingbird is the prettiest and most welcome of the natural predators. However, some others don’t get as hardy a welcome from humans. Predatory wasps are an excellent hunter of adult white flies as are lace wings and minute pirate bugs.
Ants are actually a natural cooperative partner to the white fly. Ants will protect these bugs because ants feed on the honeydew excreted by white fly larvae. Mold also loves to grown on honeydew and you can see its blackish presence on leaves.
Traps are one green pest control method that homeowners can employ to control white flies. They are inexplicably attracted to the color yellow so many commercially available traps are this colors. You can also make your own with yellow plastic plates covered in some type of very sticky substance like petroleum jelly or motor oil. Unfortunately, it takes a large amount of traps to keep a population from reproducing.
Your lawn care service or outdoor pest control professional can discuss other control options with you. A professional will be able to tell you what might work best in your neighborhood. Insecticidal soaps are often effective and some pros have had good results with direct applications of pyrethrum spray. Many white flies have developed resistance to chemicals so what works in one area may not be effective in another. If you have a serious infestation, consult the pros for advice and help.