Greenhouse Whitefly on Cucurbit Crops
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Greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporarium) is about 1⁄8 inch in length. A common pest of cucurbits, all stages (eggs, nymphs, and adults) can be found on the underside of leaves, particularly on older foliage. The adult whitefly is white and holds its wings roof-like over its back. A generation can be completed in as little as three to four weeks. Each female can lay hundreds of eggs over a period of six to eight weeks.
Greenhouse whitefly.
(Photo: Ric Bessin, University of Kentucky)
Management:
- Greenhouse whitefly is not common outside the greenhouse.
- In the greenhouse, a small parasitoid wasp, Encarsia formosa, can be very effective.
- In the field, controls for silverleaf whitefly will be effective.
