Ahhh, White Flies in The Tomatoes!

Hi Sweet Friends,
Well, as the title says, "Ahhh, White Flies in The Tomatoes!" is a frustrating thing to wake up to and find in the garden! These pesky creatures are so detrimental to all types of vegetables and flowers. So they need to be eradicated immediately! These white pests came into our green hoop house! It has been and unusually hot Spring & Summer and we used the misters to cool down the hoop house. The bad thing about this was much more moisture than we could control. Hence the breading of the Whiteflies. The larva hatches in a couple of days and in no time, they kill all the tomato plants, cucumbers, beans, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. They are also harmful to the Poinsettia and

So, I scoured the internet and found these three main things to do:
1. Herbicidal soap
2. Yellow Sticky Paper
3. Beneficial bugs, like Lady Bugs

These being great ideas, I also learned that the soap works best wet, so you can purchase a Herbicidal soap from the Garden shop or make your own. I found this recipe on "You Bet Your Garden" from GardensAlive.com  

The USDA version of Herbicidal Soap:

Directions:
  Add one tablespoon of liquid dish washing soap  (the regular kind; NOT one of these awful anti-microbial things) *I used Ivory liquid dishwashing soap.
 to a cup of vegetable oil (peanut, corn, soybean, sunflower or safflower) 
and shake well.  *I bought a cheap vegetable oil made of corn.
DON'T USE THIS AS YOUR SPRAY; IT MUST BE DILUTED! 
Mix two tablespoons of this 'master solution' into a cup of water, shake well and spray on those infested undersides of the leaves.

Companion Planting is another good way to combat the Whitefly.

Nasturtiums planted near Tomatoes, secreat root chemicals that deter the Whitefly.

 Zinnias, conversely, attract predators that consume whiteflies, including hummingbirds and predatory wasps and flies. 

Other plants with a similar function include the hummingbird bush, pineapple sage, and bee balm.

Each of these plants also conceals the scent of nearby plants, making their detection by some pest insects more difficult, as do most mints. 

Well, we are off to handle the Whiteflies!
Learn something new today!

Enjoy!

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