The time will soon come and you will be able to harvest aromatic, home-grown red tomatoes. But what is that? Apparently someone else is looking forward to the delicious vegetables and is contesting your enjoyment right from the start. Whiteflies love to nest on tomato plants and feed on their parts. It is therefore important to recognize an infestation at an early stage and take the appropriate measures.
How do you control whiteflies on tomato plants?
To combat whiteflies on tomatoes, you should regularly check the plants, maintain sufficient planting distance, ventilate the greenhouse, use yellow panels and encourage natural predators such as parasitic wasps.
Symptoms
- White animals on the underside of the leaves
- Swarm of flies rising when touching the plant
- Honeydew
- Black spots and speckled leaves
Inconvenient location
Outdoor tomatoes are less affected than greenhouse crops. Only humid and very wet summers increase the risk that whiteflies will also attack your vegetable plants in the bed. This is because the pests prefer warm temperatures and high humidity. A greenhouse therefore offers ideal conditions in which the parasites reproduce to a large extent.
Prevention
As we all know, knowledge is power. So if you know the way whiteflies live and what particularly attracts the pests, you will be able to detect an infestation early. Prevention is the best way to prevent greater damage.
So check your tomatoes regularly for the signs mentioned above. Be sure to take the undersides of the leaves into account, as this is where the critters gather most often.
You can take preventive measures when planting your tomatoes. By maintaining sufficient planting distance, you maintain good air circulation. In addition, it can happen that you introduce whitefly larvae yourself. Sometimes some eggs are found in purchased potting soil. Avoid this mishap by disinfecting the soil beforehand.
Treatment measures
If you were unable to prevent the infestation, the following measures can help:
- Changing climatic conditions
- Yellow boards
- Natural predators
Changing climatic conditions
Ensure that the air in your greenhouse does not become stuffy with regular ventilation.
Yellow boards
These are sticky films (€5.00 on Amazon) in yellow color that attract white flies. When they come into contact, they stick to it.
Natural predators
The parasitic wasp proves to be particularly useful. It is completely harmless to your plants, but feeds on whiteflies.
