How to Handle Pest Infestations with Florida Whitefly

February 10th, 2018

Florida Whitefly

Flies are notoriously annoying and bothersome, but the Whitefly brings that reputation to an entirely new level. Officially called the Bemisia tabaci, the Whitefly is considered a major invasive species throughout Florida and even worldwide. Homeowners, landscape professionals, business owners, and the general public all experience the problems that Whiteflies cause across the Florida community. If you are a home or business owner, the best (and only!) way to manage Whiteflies on your property is to hire a pest company to consistently treat your plant materials.

Identifying Whiteflies on Your Property

Whiteflies are most common on houseplants. They suck sap from the underside of leaves and cause plants to become weak and vulnerable to disease. Fortunately, there are many ways to identify the presence of whiteflies and begin a treatment routine.

Since whiteflies gather in thick crowds on the underside of plant leaves, they gather into the air in a large cloud  whenever one of their leaves is disturbed. This is impossible to miss and will immediately help you identify their hiding places. Furthermore, whiteflies secrete honeydew and leave a sticky or black sooty mold layer on their leaves.

Living in Florida or another southern state, you can unfortunately expect to find whiteflies present all year round. They use more than 250 ornamental and vegetable plants as hosts, from hibiscus and cucumber to squash and citrus. Their triangular moth-like appearance and powdery white wings make whiteflies distinctive from other insects in your garden.

Controlling Whiteflies in Your Space

Just like you don’t want mosquitos disrupting your peace outside, you also don’t want whiteflies harming your plants and killing your vegetation. There are a few DIY remedies you can use, but the ultimate solution will come from enlisting the help of a pest control company.

On your own, you can make sure to attract natural predators of the whiteflies present into your plant beds, like ladybugs, hummingbirds, and dragonflies. Your pest control company like Green Solutions Lawn Care and Pest Control, on the other hand, will use a horticultural oil to kill the whiteflies and their eggs by smothering them. The experts at Green Solutions LPC will use a contact insecticide in conjunction with the horticultural oil in order to keep outbreaks of whiteflies to an absolute minimum. With a proper systemic fungicide regimented into the applications, the whitefly’s 100 plant virus vectors can also be kept at bay.

Given the complicated nature of the whitefly and its consequences, allow Green Solutions LPC in Tampa, Florida to keep your property protected from pests. Call (813) 684-7336 today to get started.