Controlling whitefly: Claire Shaddick examines ways to deal with whitefly infestations

摘要

The fly-like appearance of whiteflies - which are actually plant bugs related to aphids - makes them one of the easiest pests to recognise. But there is more than one species and some are notifiable, which makes accurate identification important - andessential for any whitefly found on imported plant material. Like aphids, whiteflies suck on plant sap, excreting waste as sugar-rich sticky honeydew which contaminates plant flowers and foliage and which itself can become colonised by black sooty mould fungus. Infestations left unchecked will debilitate plants.