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This small white, moth-like pest must never be allowed to breed unchecked in a greenhouse for more than a week, ignore this rule at your peril, as whitefly will then become almost impossible to eliminate.
They breed throughout the year on house plants and in glasshouses and have a three week life cycle.
Constant vigilance is the key, always inspect newly purchased plants for infestations.
The white winged adult whiteflies are about 1mm long and take flight when plants are disturbed.
Placing yellow sticky cards in convenient places around you plants these will catch the fly when it is flight.
Eggs hatch into flat, oval, whitish green, scale like nymphs on the underside of leaves.
Any found on the underside of the leaves should be squashed between the finger and thumb and any scales (eggs) present should be given the same treatment.
Adults and nymphs both excrete sugary honeydew that makes plants sticky and prone to sooty mould.
Insecticides have limited effect on whitefly.
As a preventative measure use several suitable sprays with different base chemicals to the manufacturer's instructions.
Biological control encarsia formosa is available to the amateur grower and may be of some assistance.
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