Insects often cause damage to the crop, as this may not be an isolated case. Many cultivated plants die under the influence of whiteflies, which prevent normal growth and yield fruit. Because of these parasites, whole plantations can die if you do not pay attention to the problem in time and solve it.

What is whitefly?

This pest is able to take moisture and all juice from strawberries. These are small insects of white color, a little like a mole. Sizes range from 1.5 to 5 mm. The body and wings are covered with powdery mildew; on the head they have a pair of yellow antennae. Settled on the back of the leaves, as they do not tolerate sunlight. Able to multiply easily if the weather is wet and warm. They hibernate in greenhouses.

Types of whiteflies:

1. Tobacco. It has a yellow stripe on its back, the wings are located along the back. For reproduction, the air temperature should be +30 ... + 35 ° С.
2. Citrus It is dangerous for the southern miles of the population. Not able to survive in the climate of the middle zone.
3. Strawberry. It feeds on strawberry juices.
4. Cabbage. Settles on cabbage leaves.
5. Greenhouse or greenhouse. Eats tomatoes and cucumbers, rarely flowering plants.

Did you know? Bright nasturtium flowers help scare away whiteflies.

Danger and signs of pest

Signs of the appearance of an insect on a strawberry:

1. Settles on the back of the leaves, where it lays small eggs. To see the whitefly, it is enough to bend the leaf and see, it can be seen with the naked eye. Also, in order not to bend the leaves, you can slightly shake them with your hand - it will be noticeable how small midges begin to fly over the bush.
2. A whitish coating appears on the leaves, this is the discharge of this pest.
3. The plant begins to wilt. Leaves become dry and dull.

The danger posed by the whitefly is the wilting and loss of strawberries

Pest Control Methods

There are several types of control that will help get rid of whiteflies and its negative effects on the crop:

• biological;
• chemical;
• folk.

Chemical

For this type of struggle, chemical preparations are used, which can be easily purchased in stores for gardeners or large hypermarkets. Among them:

• "Actara." Sold in bags. Dosage of 1 g of the drug per 1 liter of water. With this solution, plants are sprayed, the soil can also be cultivated;
• "Actellicus." Release form - ampoules. The effect of the drug is noticeable after three days. Do not use more than 4 times per season;
• "Rovikurt." Oily liquid. It is excellent to use for mass infection of plantations. 10 g per 10 l of water;
• "Pegasus". Sold in ampoules. 2 ml per 1 liter of water. Spraying should be carried out twice, the second one week after the first;
• "Verticillin J." 25 ml of the drug is diluted in 1 liter of water;
• pills from the moth. 1 tablet in 1 liter of water, spray on the plants.

Important! Chemical treatment should be carried out 2-3 times, since once is not enough to completely exterminate the harmful insect.

Biological

The biological method is the use of special insects that will eat whitefly eggs. These predators are called: enkarsia and macrophus bugs. These predatory insects are harmless to strawberries and other crops. After all the whitefly eggs are eaten, they leave the plant.

Folk

Since chemicals can be harmful to humans by inhalation or skin contact, gardeners and farmers often use folk methods to control whiteflies. The most popular of them:

1. Tincture of garlic. 300 g of garlic should be grated, then pour hot water. Tincture is placed in a jar or a bottle and cleaned in a dark place. Shake every 24 hours. Insist for about a week. After use in an amount of 10 ml per 1 liter of water and spray the plants.
2. A solution of laundry soap. The stems and leaves of the bushes are treated with a thick solution. The safest way to get rid of whiteflies.
3. Peppermint. Near the strawberries should be planted several bushes of mint. Her smell will help scare away the whitefly.
4. Lemon peels. It will take a crust of 20 lemons, which must be boiled in 5 liters of water. Broth to spray every three days. Not the most effective way.

Did you know? The whitefly flies in yellow, so you can spread the yellow cardboard with sticky liquid and place it near the plants.

Strawberry Processing Step by Step

Brief instructions for processing a cultivated plant:

1. Before spraying, it is advisable to treat the leaves with warm water, about + 40 ° C. Wait for the leaves to dry.
2. Prepare a solution in advance, it can be both chemical and folk.
3. Spray strawberries.
4. Spraying should be repeated about 3 times. Since the substances act on adults and larvae, but not on eggs.
5. It is advisable to change chemicals and take a new one for each spraying, as they can often be addictive in whiteflies.

Prevention

For prevention, the following steps should be taken:

• regularly spray against whiteflies;
• monitor their appearance on the leaves;
• if strawberries grow in a greenhouse, then ensure good ventilation;
• remove weeds and plants that have dried in time, this will help prevent the appearance of the insect on the plantation as a whole.

Important! Removing the insect with your hands is less effective than spraying.

Subject to all these rules, it is possible to achieve complete extermination of whiteflies, as well as to prevent their appearance on plantations. The main thing is to notice and start the fight in time.