Topic: White Fly

[Paulines7]

My butterfly netting around my purple sprouting has successfully kept out the Cabbage White and pigeons.  However, this afternoon when I went into the cage to pick some, I noticed quite a few whiteflies had taken up residence.  The netting is too close knit to allow ladybirds in to feed on them and I don't want to use any sprays so as far as I can see, the best way to control them is if I cut the leaves off that have the eggs and young and feed them to the chickens.  If I take an electronic fly zapper into the cage, I should be able to destroy the flying ones. 

I may have to go on a ladybird hunt and put them inside the cage to spend the winter there.  I could make a couple of ladybird houses and hang them on the upright supports.  Hopefully, they will overwinter and come out in the spring to feed on any whiteflies that I have missed. 

[strawberry1]

whitefly has stopped me growing kale. Yes I know they wash off but they weaken the plant and the leaves are disgusting to handle when overwhelmed. I never but never get enough predators and have tried all sorts of washes to reduce whitefly but they have won and I now buy kale from an organic producer. They don`t seem to affect my purple sprouting or remaining red cabbages. I put a few new kale plants in late in the season last year but whitefly still appeared over winter, so I give in and kale no longer features on my allotment planner

[Digeroo]

I have found that there are very few ladybirds around.

Have you tried stinging nettle tea?  I only leave the nettles to soak for two days and then spray. The liquid looks a bit like pee, I do not wait for the smelly stage.  I have managed to keep the creepy crawlies from my blackcurrants and brassicas so far.  I do this several times, one spray is not enough.  But once they are gone they do not seem to return.

I avoid nettles with flowers in case they are seeds.

[ancellsfarmer]

Try these.

I use their link but prefer not to Amazon


https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Garden-Outdoors/Growing-Success-Green-House-White-Traps-7-Piece/B001P3WWMU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1502820195&sr=8-2&keywords=yellow+sticky+fly+traps
Growing Success available from hardware shops and garden centres nationwide

Can be cut down and fitted into upturned coke bottle, cut off at bottom, to protect from rain.
Just like a little greenhouse!
Hang below netting or under leaf for taller crops.

[Paulines7]

Thank you for your replies.

Digeroo, I haven't tried nettle tea on them.  The problem I may have is that the plants are packed a bit close together and I can see myself getting soaked through using a spray in such an enclosed space. 

Ancellsfarmer, I have sent off for some yellow whitefly traps as suggested by you and will try your idea of putting them in bottles to keep dry.  Thank you for that tip.   

I haven't had time to get in there with my zapper yet but will do so in the next day or so.