WHITEFLY. "I've used your Bio-control for the past two years - I am thrilled with the Encarsia for Whitefly. They worked extremely well." Mrs D. from Guilford. "Delighted with the Encarsia did the trick." Regards Chris Introduce Encarsia as soon as you see Whitefly and the temp is above 10°c. Whitefly have been a major pest in greenhouses for many years and in large numbers they can devastate plants. Commercial growers turned to the biological control Encarsia in the 60's and 70's and now this system can be applied in YOUR conservatory or greenhouse. Both the adult and the larval stage of the whitefly suck sap from the leaves resulting in the stunting of growth and damage to leaves. The sap contains excess sugar which is secreted by the whitefly and coats the lower leaves, mould then develops on it which is unsightly and reduces the ability of the plant to manufacture food causing further loss of vigor. Adult whitefly are small, white, waxy winged insects that fly off the plant as soon as they are disturbed. They tend to stay close together and often congregate at the top of the plant. Whitefly should not be confused with aphids which shed their skin leaving them on the leaves. To tell the difference shake the plant, whitefly will fly off whereas aphid skins will remain motionless. Whitefly infestation can come from plants brought in to the greenhouse so careful inspection is vital, also adults can survive over winter if the temperatures does not fall below freezing and finally they will come in through greenhouse vents during warm weather. Left: Adult Whitefly. Adult whitefly are capable of laying up to 200 eggs in groups on the underside of the leaves. Tiny larvae emerge which search out suitable feeding sites on the underside of the leaves where they settle down and lose the ability to move. This immobile "scale" stage is pale green, about 2mm long and lives on the underside of the lower leaves only. The life cycle consists of adult laying eggs, to larvae, to scale and finally to adult, this whole process can be completed in as little as 3 weeks in the summer. Right: Whitefly scale Encarsia - Protect your plants by introducing a natural parasite of whitefly called Encarsia Formosa. They are most effective if they are introduced early in the season AS SOON as the first whitefly appear and the temperatures are above 10°C / 50°F. Encarsia are introduced to the greenhouse as parasitised whitefly scale on small white cards which are hung on the lower leaves of the plants. It takes about 7-14 days for the Encarsia to emerge from the parasitised scale and start to hunt whitefly. If the conditions are not suitable or if the infestation is very heavy use sticky glue traps and a whitefly spray to cut down the adult numbers first and then introduce Encarsia. Use spray and traps in conjunction with the encarsia to keep the whitefly down until the Encarsia are established. Left : Encarsia card in position on a tomato plant.. Encarsia is a tiny insect with clear wings which seeks out whitefly scale and deposits an egg inside it. The life cycle of the Encarsia is then completed inside the whitefly scale, which in turn is destroyed and turns black, before a new Encarsia emerges ready to repeat the cycle. Each Encarsia is capable of laying 300 eggs inside 300 whitefly scales in 30 days. The adult Encarsia also feeds on the honeydew and on the body fluids of the whitefly scale further helping to reduce numbers. "Delighted with the Encarsia - it did the trick." Regards Chris Right : Black parisitised whitefly scale on the right. Encarsia are available as a half course or a full course:-  A half course is two introductions at 7 day intervals and is for a small greenhouse where the whitefly have just appeared. A full course is 4 introductions at 7 day intervals and is for larger greenhouses or where the whitefly have had time to get established. Separate deliveries at 7 day intervals allows the Encarsia numbers to build up naturally. Left : An adult Encarsia But do not take our word for it, this is what some of our customers think :- "Encarsia, miraculous! I've had whitefly in my conservatory for 15yrs. After using your encarsia last year I couldn't believe how the whitefly vanished like magic. I tell all my friends about you." Lady B. "I had a very bad problem on fuchsias and tomatoes, sprayed with all kinds of nasty chemicals. Used encarsia - not had a problem since. Marvellous! Like a miracle!" A.G. of Norwich. "Used encarsia on fuchsias, pelargoniums and begonias for the first time last year. I've always had problems but this kept the plants completely free. Marvellous!" Mr H. from Cambridge. Three steps to whitefly control :- Hang yellow glue traps next to plants in spring to monitor & control those early whitefly. Use SB Invigorator spray to control any early whitefly until av. temp. is 10°C/50°F. Introduce Encarsia - we recommend a full course of 4 intros. at 7 day intervals. Mop up any whitefly "hotspots" (i.e. large concentrations of whitefly) with SB Invigorator spray while the Encarsia are getting established. Glue Traps - Sticky glue traps should be placed adjacent to the growing point of the plants or placed in plant pots. For plants such as tomatoes, the traps should be hung in such a way as they can be raised as the plant grows. This way, the traps can be left in position after the Encarsia have been introduced and raised as the plant grows. As the Encarsia congregate in the lower leaves, the traps will only catch the Whitefly which will fly around the tops of the plants. Whitefly are attracted by the bright colour and become stuck to the trap. They should be changed as they become dirty. Available in packs of 10 or 25. Right : Hanging sticky glue trap. SB Plant Invigorator - This natural spray is going to be of great help to the green gardener as it not only controls a range of pests in a safe and effective way, but it also controls fungal diseases and contains a foliar feed. Available as a 500ml ready to use spray, as a 250ml concentrate (makes 25 litres of spray) or NEW for 2008, as a 1 litre super concentrate makes 500 litres) for use in your own sprayer. SB Plant Invigorator should be in your store cupboard ready to :-  Control pests during the winter and spring when it is too cold to use beneficial insects (i.e. in unheated greenhouses / conservatories). There are no harmful chemical residues left behind, so beneficial insects can be introduced AS SOON as the temperatures are warm enough. Control any pest hotspots ONCE natural controls have been introduced. Use SB Plant Invigorator to target any pest hotspots. It will not harm beneficial insects once they have been introduced. Use for a pest emergency - been away or not noticed a rapid build up of pests such as red spider mite or greenfly? - use SB Plant Invigorator to get control BEFORE introducing beneficial insects. SB Plant Invigorator is brilliant at clearing heavy infestations BEFORE introducing a natural control. Here the spray has been applied twice at 2 week intervals to kill a heavy infestation of mealy bug before introducing cryptolaemus. The first spraying removes the protective wax from the pest, which normally makes it so difficult to control and then the subsequent spray 2 weeks later kills the pest. As no harmful chemical residues are left behind, the cryptolameus were immediately introduced to give on-going pest control. Left : A heavy infestation of mealy bug Right : The mealy bug is dead after just 2 sprays. Special Offer - Emergency Whitefly Pest Pack - "Help I have a lot of whitefly in my greenhouse. What can I do?" Use our Emergency whitefly pest pack containing 250ml of SB Plant Invigorator & a full course of encarsia. Spray with SB Invigorator for 2 weeks. Introduce encarsia to establish a breeding colony for long term control. The 1st encarsia will be sent automatically 14 days after the invigorator. Emergency Whitefly Pest Pack £27.49 PRODUCTS AVAILABLE NAME DESCRIPTION PRICE ADD Encarsia 1/2 course (2 deliveries at 7 day intervals) £8.99 Full course (4 deliveries at 7 day intervals) £14.99 Emergency Pest Pack 250ml SB Invigorator & a full course of encarsia £27.49 Glue Traps Pack of 10 £6.00 Pack of 25 saving £2.50 £12.50 SB Plant Invigorator 1 x 500ml ready to use spray £9.99 1 x 250ml concentrate makes 25 litres of spray £12.50 NEW - 1 x 1 litre super concentrate makes 500 litres - equivalent to 20 x 250ml bottles saving ALOT! £49.99 Release lacewing larvae and / or ladybirds into your garden to control aphids (both greenfly/ blackfly) and other soft-bodied pests. 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