Whiteflies can be a menace in the garden. These flies are close relatives to aphids, they are both sap-sucking insects. It is essential that you steer clear of them.

Symptoms/Signs

These pests are capable of two types of damage to your plants namely; direct and indirect.

1) Direct: Theses pesky pests will suck all the juices and nutrients from your plant. This will lead to the yellowing and premature falling of leaves, severe infestations can be fatal to the plant.

2) Indirect: Adult whiteflies are known for spreading diseases from sick plants to healthy ones. Whiteflies also secrete honeydew like their close relatives' aphids. Honeydew is a sticky substance which eventually becomes dark due to a fungus called sooty mold. The sooty mold will stop light from filtering through to the leaves which will have fatal consequences for your plants.

What does this mean for me/my plants?

In the case of direct damage, the plant will be sapped of all its nutrients and eventually die! The sooty mold will spread to the leaves of the plant. This makes it hard for the leaves to receive sunlight, this makes it very hard for the plants to make their own nutrients!

Suggested Action

Plants can be treated with a registered systemic insecticide. The instructions on how to use the insecticide will be on the pack.