I went out to the garden this morning to cut some end of season kale to
bring to some co-workers and discovered they had a sizable infestation
of whitefly. I had checked these same plants on Sunday and they were
fine. So, I think I've caught this at the beginning. I've pulled all the
kale and started spraying everything close by with Safer. What else can
I be doing?

Anyone have any good ORGANIC ways of dealing with whitefly?

David

David wrote:

I went out to the garden this morning to cut some end of season kale to
bring to some co-workers and discovered they had a sizable infestation
of whitefly. I had checked these same plants on Sunday and they were
fine. So, I think I've caught this at the beginning. I've pulled all the
kale and started spraying everything close by with Safer. What else can
I be doing?

Anyone have any good ORGANIC ways of dealing with whitefly?

David


According to the Rodale "Color Handbook of Garden Insects" the natural
control is to dust with tobacco dust or spray with tobacco tea.


--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral, 48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)

David said:

I went out to the garden this morning to cut some end of season kale to
bring to some co-workers and discovered they had a sizable infestation
of whitefly. I had checked these same plants on Sunday and they were
fine. So, I think I've caught this at the beginning. I've pulled all the
kale and started spraying everything close by with Safer. What else can
I be doing?

Anyone have any good ORGANIC ways of dealing with whitefly?

Use a vacuum to suck up the adults (best in cool of morning)
..
Spray underside of leaves with soap solution *mixed with seaweed (kelp)*.

Whitefly "dislikes plant with high magnesium content." (Did they show
any signs of yellowing between the veins?) Dolomitic limestone or use
of some other source of magnesium might be indicated.

Whitefly might also indicate plants stressed for phosphorous.

(Quote and other advice from _The Organic Method Primer_)
--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

I don't know much so I'm just throwing out what I think are interesting
links. I'll let someone else comment on whether or not they are really
effective.


I've found some information on using Insect Parasitic Nematodes...
http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/nema...he_experts.htm

There are a couple varities of nematodes: plant eating varieties and
"parasitic insect varities".

This site seems like a good source of information... there's a list of
"whitefly controls" towards the bottom. Their website is set up quite
nice. They have some descriptions and some pictures as well, and the
advertising doesn't seem overly abused.
http://homeharvest.com/beneins.htm

Was looking for information about mushrooms myself, and I saw a
link to a nematode eating fungus (carnivorous mushroom, also known
as Hohenbuehelia petaloides). So I was thinking that if they ate nema-
todes, they might also eat whiteflies, but that turned up nothing for me.

I've got a young belle pepper infested by something. They don't seem
to be whiteflies, and am looking for help with these guys. They look
like they are going to eat that plant up. I'm posting the pictures in a
moment in alt.binaries.pictures.gardens. They do not seem to be
bothering the purple basil plant 2 inches away, just the belle pepper.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

--
Jim Carlock
Please post replies to newsgroup.

"Pat Kiewicz" wrote in message ...
David said:

I went out to the garden this morning to cut some end of season kale to
bring to some co-workers and discovered they had a sizable infestation
of whitefly. I had checked these same plants on Sunday and they were
fine. So, I think I've caught this at the beginning. I've pulled all the
kale and started spraying everything close by with Safer. What else can
I be doing?

Anyone have any good ORGANIC ways of dealing with whitefly?

Use a vacuum to suck up the adults (best in cool of morning)
..
Spray underside of leaves with soap solution *mixed with seaweed (kelp)*.

Whitefly "dislikes plant with high magnesium content." (Did they show
any signs of yellowing between the veins?) Dolomitic limestone or use
of some other source of magnesium might be indicated.

Whitefly might also indicate plants stressed for phosphorous.

(Quote and other advice from _The Organic Method Primer_)
--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

On Wed, 04 May 2005 00:40:54 GMT, David wrote:


Anyone have any good ORGANIC ways of dealing with whitefly?

Green Lacewings!

Lots of places, both local and on-line sell the eggs.


Penelope

Thank you to all who replied to my inquiry. I'd checked most of my books
and did a google and came up with most of the same possible remedies. It
rained most of the day today so its hard to say how well I did in
catching them yesterday. I'll keep working with the Safer for a couple
more days and if they aren't under control I'll go for the Green
Lacewings. I've used Lady Bugs for Aphids before, but never the Lacewings.

Again, thank you all, nice to have a group to bounce ideas of off.

David

Hi All,
reoly at the end.
"The Cook" wrote in message
...
David wrote:

I went out to the garden this morning to cut some end of season kale to
bring to some co-workers and discovered they had a sizable infestation
of whitefly. I had checked these same plants on Sunday and they were
fine. So, I think I've caught this at the beginning. I've pulled all the
kale and started spraying everything close by with Safer. What else can
I be doing?

Anyone have any good ORGANIC ways of dealing with whitefly?

David


According to the Rodale "Color Handbook of Garden Insects" the natural
control is to dust with tobacco dust or spray with tobacco tea.


--
Susan N.

tobacco of any kind is not a good idea. it was used in the Victorian age, it
will kill all insects including the good ones. and all so it was found to be
detrimental to the gardeners who had to use it. and that is why it fell in
to disuse. hope this helps you.

Richard M. Watkin.


"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral, 48 percent
indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)

il Tue, 03 May 2005 21:12:01 -0400, The Cook wrote:

David wrote:

I went out to the garden this morning to cut some end of season kale to
bring to some co-workers and discovered they had a sizable infestation
of whitefly. I had checked these same plants on Sunday and they were
fine. So, I think I've caught this at the beginning. I've pulled all the
kale and started spraying everything close by with Safer. What else can
I be doing?

Anyone have any good ORGANIC ways of dealing with whitefly?

David


According to the Rodale "Color Handbook of Garden Insects" the natural
control is to dust with tobacco dust or spray with tobacco tea.

Oh, lets give them cancer instead :-)). I have an old old book that
mentions that too, but it also talks of DDT, so I suspect tobacco is
obsolete also.

Mother Earth talks of a salt ans water solution ( no % given). It
also mentions using Bacillus Thuringiensis as a bio control. for
caterpillars and a whitefly parasite called Encarsia. Even a blast of
hose water can remove some insects. I use this on my roses to keep
the aphids down, they never get sprayed and seem to survive.
--
Cheers,
Loki [ Brevity is the soul of wit. W.Shakespeare ]

arr i am not the only person to think of the vac idear this works very
well . have tryed soap in the past and has damaged plants .

Pat Kiewicz wrote:
David said:

I went out to the garden this morning to cut some end of season kale to
bring to some co-workers and discovered they had a sizable infestation
of whitefly. I had checked these same plants on Sunday and they were
fine. So, I think I've caught this at the beginning. I've pulled all the
kale and started spraying everything close by with Safer. What else can
I be doing?

Anyone have any good ORGANIC ways of dealing with whitefly?


Use a vacuum to suck up the adults (best in cool of morning)
.
Spray underside of leaves with soap solution *mixed with seaweed (kelp)*.

Whitefly "dislikes plant with high magnesium content." (Did they show
any signs of yellowing between the veins?) Dolomitic limestone or use
of some other source of magnesium might be indicated.

Whitefly might also indicate plants stressed for phosphorous.

(Quote and other advice from _The Organic Method Primer_)