Bemisia tabaci It is a type of insect cataloged as the sternorhinco hemiptera belonging to the family Aleyrodidae. It is a kind of white fly that is distributed in almost all the ecosystems of the planet. It is believed that it originally came from some region of India.
See also: How to eliminate aphids? and How to eradicate the mealybug
We find the dreaded whitefly among the 100 most usurping unusual species in the world. Eliminate it from your marijuana growIt will be vital for your plants if you have the plague, but it will always be better to be safe than sorry, this being the most effective solution before suffering it.
What is the whitefly?
Initially, the White fly It was an insect that was not a costly or dangerous pest for farmers, since they had the help of other pests present in nature that controlled the increase in population.
Insects such as a large number of types of wasps and of other families, devoured whitefly as an indispensable element in their daily meals. They also had as their enemies a great variety of fungi present on different plants that they could be its victims, that caused the death of the dreaded insect.
Unfortunately, the use of different insecticide and pesticide products increased rapidly, directly affecting nature’s own balance. The enemies of the Bemisia tabaci they were being affected, dying and losing presence, while the whitefly evolved, growing with tolerance to the new agrochemicals in use and thus increasing its population.
With this rapid increase in the whitefly population, many crops were affected. The main damages were suffered by tomato, cucumber, paprika or zucchini farmers, as millions in economic losses as a result.
For all these reasons, it is currently considered a first-level pest, with a presence in practically the whole world, not ruling out any climate.
In all the agricultural cropsWhether for marijuana or for food use, we will see that the whitefly will reproduce with a large number of eggs just under the leaves of our plants. They are oval and like yellow, really small but very numerous; We will be able to observe almost 200 of them every time the Bemisia tabaci decides to lay, about 4 times a year, and can reach up to 10. They grow fast and reproduce faster.
Whitefly states in cultivation
Phase 1: egg
As we said, it is the initial state. Visually it is not totally round and white, but rather it is oval and like yellow or even green. It is easy to see them by the number possible on each back of each leaf, but they are really small, measuring only 0.2 x 0.1mm.
Phase 2: first stage of the larva
In the second phase we can observe slightly elongated larvaeThey are also oval but somewhat more stretched and slightly larger than the egg, not exceeding 3 millimeters long. In this first stage of the larvae, Bemisia tabaci will have a flattened belly and slightly rounded sides.
Is larva will attach to the leaf, already having tiny legs and antennae, but with very little mobility. Almost at the moment of finding its place, it begins to molt, becoming a second-instar larva.
Phase 3: second and third instar of the larva
Here we will see a larva completely fixed in motion, with a greater number of folds. As it develops, larger size and a darker color are observed, and can reach up to 0.7 x 0.4mm.
Phase 4: pupal or nymph stage IV
There are contradictions in the use of the term pupa Because in this state the individual feeds and the molt does not occur.
In the final state of larval process, it is assigned the name of pupa or Nymph IV. A darker color is perceived and two reddish eyes can already be seen.
Phase 5: adult
After emerging from the larva, the Bemisia tabaci is ocher yellow and his eyes tend to be very dark red almost black. It reaches a small size of no more than 1 millimeter high and around 30 wide. The antennae do not exceed 29 millimeters and the wings are white and elliptical, overlapping on its back.
The other species of whitefly, the Trialeurodes vaporariorum or greenhouse whitefly, practically only differs from the Bemisia, by placing the wings vertically without actually mounting one on top of the other.
What damage does the whitefly cause in our marijuana cultivation?
Principally we will notice that our crop will lack food, since the necessary nutrients will not be absorbed by the plants in an adequate way causing deterioration and affecting growth. The mosca blanca or Bemisia tabaci it will feed on our plants from the first larval stages.
As soon as we detect the presence of the White fly In our cultivation, it is advisable to act quickly, since this insect moves very easily and quickly from plant to plant, reproducing its number easily and even more the greater the number of plants.
Disease transmission
Since it does not cost too much work to spread through our crop, attaching itself to the underside of the leaves with an extension of its mouth, the whitefly will also be dangerous due to the ease in which it can transmit viruses among other diseases. In addition, its excretion causes a layer that sticks to the leaves and facilitates the appearance of various types of fungi.
How to eliminate whitefly?
Outdoor / outdoor cultivation whitefly
Once discovered, all pests must be eliminated as soon as possible. In the case of outdoor crops, the first step will be to manually remove the eggs that we can locate on the underside of the leaves. To remove them more safely, it is recommended to use a cloth or scouring pad soaked in a mixture of water and Neem oil (natural repellent obtained from bees: biological, biodegradable and zero residue) that, of course, you can find in Bobgrow with your measures and advice for use in our pest control section.
After a thorough review and exhaustive cleaning of all the localized eggs, we began to spray the entire surface of the plant. From top to bottom, passing through each of the leaves and its stem.
In addition, the ideal is repeat the process after about 7 days in case there are any eggs leftresistant, larva or adult; and repeat the treatment with Neem oil every 20 days By way of prevention, always taking into account to stop spraying our plants at least 15 days in advance before harvesting, not using it after the final root wash.
Spraying the cUltivo with the mixture of water and this oil, we protect it from whitefly specimens that may roam near our outdoor plants, although it will not hurt if we also place some yellowish sticky strips or traps in the outdoor area, where we will not only catch whitefly but almost all insects that they fly over it, also avoiding other possible pests.
Pest in indoor / indoor cultivation
For our plants in indoor or indoor cultivation, the ideal and most advisable thing is that let’s prevent before we have to heal, so it is recommended to use sticky traps for insects as soon as we assemble the interior. In this way, if a whitefly passes through the area, it will end up there instead of on our leaves.
Continuing with prevention, in indoor crops it is usually recommended to use chemicals such as a powerful multipurpose insecticide, such as those you can find on our website. This will prevent the more than certain persistence of the indoor pest if it does settle down, making it difficult for the entry and development of insect pests such as Bemisia Tabaci. Ideally, water or spray preventively every 20 days or so, according to the advice of the specific manufacturer. Whether we have the plague or not, we remember that these fumigations must stop when our crop enters the flowering phase.
We hope that you do not see yourself in this situation and that Bemisia tabaci will leave you alone, but since this whitefly is too common, I hope that if you are affected by this bug, this article will help you detect it in time and eliminate it from your precious marijuana plants.
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