- Description
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Details
Adult whitefly are small, white, waxy-winged insects congregate at the top of the plant, but fly off if disturbed. Both the adults and larval stages of the whitefly suck sap from the leaves resulting in stunted growth and damaged leaves. The sap contains excess sugar which is excreted by the whitefly and coats the lower leaves. Mould then develops, which is unsightly and produces poor growth. A Whitefly infestation can be brought into your greenhouse / conservatories by bringing in infected plants, so carefully inspect any new ones or they can come in through open windows / open greenhouse vents in warm weather. They are capable of laying up to 200 eggs in groups on the underside of the leaves, so numbers can build up quickly. Tiny larvae emerge ,which search out suitable feeding sites and lose the ability to move. This immobile "scale" stage is pale green, about 2mm long and lives under 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. To control whitefly :-
- Introduce Encarsia as soon as the daytime temperature averages 10°C / 50°F and the whitefly are 1st spotted.
- Hang yellow Glue Traps alongside plants to monitor / control whitefly alongside Encarsia.
- If the temperature is below 16C/50F, use SB Invigorator Natural Spray to hold the fort until temperatures rise and then introduce Encarsia.
- If the infestation is very heavy then spray with SB Invigorator first to reduce numbers before introducing Encarsia - see our Whitefly Emergency Pest Pack.
N.B. 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 stuck. If it is aphids, use aphidius / ladybirds / lacewings for control instead.
Control whitefly in your greenhouse / conservatory by introducing Encarsia Formosa AS SOON as the first whitefly appear and the temperatures are above 10°C / 50°F. Encarsia is a natural parasite of whitefly - it is a tiny insect with clear wings that seeks out whitefly scale and deposits an egg inside it. As the beneficial Encarsia develops INSIDE the whitefly scale, the whitefly 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. It is safe for you, children, pets and wildlife. Food crops such as tomotoes can be harvested continually, where Encarsia is used.
Encarsia is introduced into the greenhouse / conservatory as small, black dots on cards, which are simply hung on the lower leaves of the plants - the easiest gardening you will ever do! Each delivery of Encarsia consists of a number of cards (5 or 10), with each card producing approx 60 Encarsia i.e. a delivery of 5 cards produces approx 300 Encarsia. Simply seperate the cards along the perforations and hang them around the greenhouse / conservatory on the lower leaves of the infected plants. Each order for Encarsia consists of 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 or 10 separate deliveries at 7 day intervals, which allows the Encarsia numbers to build up naturally resulting in better control. How much Encarsia is needed :-
- For a small greenhouse where the whitefly have just appeared - use 2 introductions (5 cards per introduction) at 7 day intervals.
- For larger greenhouses or where the whitefly have had time to get established - use 3 or more introductions (5 cards per introduction) at 7 day intervals.
- For large greenhouses where plants are being moved in and out or where you have had a persistent whitefly problem in the past and you want to introduce Encarsia to keep whitefly at bay during the growing season - use 8 or more intoductions (5 cards per introduction) @ 7 day intervals or increase the quantity and get more cards per delivery.
- If the infestation is very heavy, spray with SB Invigorator 1st and then introduce Encarsia - see our Emergency Pest Pack (SB Invigorator followed by 4 introductions of Encarsia).
N.B. If you have recently used a chemical spray i.e. within the last 2-3 weeks, please contact us (jess@greengardener.co.uk) to check how soon Encarsia can be introduced?
- Reviews
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Customer Reviews 10 item(s)
- Arrives very promptly each week and is working well.
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The biological control for whitefly I ordered arrives very promptly each week and is working well. The website is easy to navigate and order from.
Price - And their encarsia treatment really works.
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Have been dealing with them for years. Always prompt service. One small communication glitch was immediately rectified by return email, everything done to full satisfaction. And their encarsia treatment really works. I haven’t had a whitefly problem in my greenhouse since I started using It.
Price - Highly recommended.
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Have often used Green Gardener, mainly for slug nematodes in previous years. This order was for encarsia wasps for the greenhouse. As always, excellent service and prompt delivery. Highly recommended.
Price - Encarsia for white-fly control in my greenhouse.
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I have used Green Gardener products for a number of years now, in particular the Encarsia for white-fly control in my greenhouse. As I prefer to use organic control rather than chemical control. I have found the process of ordering very easy and the response is quick and efficient.
Price - Very pleased as usual.
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For the third year I have ordered the white fly control .It arrived promptly and is just beginning to have the desired effect. Very pleased as usual.
Price - Encarsia
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I had a never ending white fly problem in my tunnel and green house and your bio product fixed it . I will be using your bio product again next year.
Price - I will be using your bio product again next year.
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I had a never ending white fly problem in my tunnel and green house and your bio product fixed it . I will be using your bio product again next year, Not cheap but compared with the cost of replacement plants, with the white fly still there it is the answer.
Price - The anti whitefly wasps certainly know what to do.
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Great service as usual.The anti whitefly wasps certainly know what to do.
Price - Encarsia
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Great service at a good price
I have used Green Gardener products for a number of years. They supply a number of natural pest control options and I have tried several of them.
I have used nemaslug successfully for several years, also vine weevil control for adults and grubs. I have also tried encarsia in the greenhouse, adult ladybirds, larvae and lacewing larvae to control greenfly. All products that have worked well and benefitted the garden.
They provide a good and reliable service, particularly the two part delivery which ensures that you treat at the right timePrice - Encasia for Whitefly
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I bought the short course of two deliveries of parasitic encarsia wasp for my greenhouse whitefly problem. They arrived promptly, just as described and are good value when compared to other companies online offerings. The wasps have hatched and I know they must be settling in as I've seen the parasitised whitefly larvae. I trust they'll keep the pest problem small this year. I don't think anyone can expect total eradication of the whitefly but tiny numbers won't be a problem. This is a great way to do it without horrid chemicals. I recommend "green gardener". Do try them
Price
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