Indoor Winter Whiteouts

Consider these two options to expand your whitefly bio program:

For decades the tried and true approach for whitefly control has been parasitic wasps such as Encarsia formosa and Eretmocerus eremicus. While these wasps have proven their efficacy in some locations, others still look for more help when it comes to dealing with pesky whitefly.

First up is Dicyphus hesperus. Dicyphus is a biocontrol agent that can be placed directly in a crop or on a banker plant system using Mullein plants. The Mullein plant provides Dicyphus with a water source and breeding ground where all life stages of Dicyphus can be found. Although whitefly is its preferred pest, it can also feed on spider mite and thrips. This makes it a great biological control to use in combination with other bios when dealing with more than just whitefly. This little helper allows your other biological controls to work efficiently by reducing multiple pest pressures at the same time.

Another great addition to whitefly bio control is the brilliant Delphastus catalinae. This tiny, yet mighty beetle is your whiteflies worst nightmare. Delphastus is able to disrupt the next generation of whitefly by feeding heavily on whitefly eggs, which is required for them to begin reproducing in the crop. Whitefly eggs aren’t the only food they’re looking for either, they’re also able to feed on young nymph stages of whitefly, avoiding any Eretmocerus and Encarsia parasitized nymphs. This combination of bios allows the parasitoids to achieve better results as they perform best in lower whitefly densities.

If you’d like more information on creating a combination approach to your whitefly control program, please reach out to our passionate biological control team!

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