Wooly Whitefly

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Knotahippie

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Got a call the other day to look at a xylosma. The worst whitefly infestation I'd seen yet (I haven't seen very much!). You guys seen it this bad before?
 

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  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6
All the white stuff is sugar from what I understand. It looks and tastes just like cotton candy.

Tasted some. If it wasn't bug shat I would have eaten more! :D

The tree is doing quite well despite the bug.

I sprayed the heck out of em' with a garden hose and a high pressure nozzle.

Recommended once a week treatment by the gardener for the rest of summer or until they're gone.
 
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  • #9
I'd honestly feel blessed to have em' in my yard, don't make me feel worse than I already do bro!...:(
The sidewalk and part of a play structure was covered in what looked like pancake syrup.
 
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  • #11
Dunno, sometimes i feel bad cuttin' down a nice tree or killin' some harmless bugs.

There's always another option, right?

But...ain't got no cash ain't got no hash! (that's what my buddy says :D)
 
Several years back, I saw something like that in the bush back of my parents place and again that same year in Michigan a a friends farm. Still not sure what it was though.

They were very very small and fuzzy looking, thousands of them! On the ground below them, the leaves appeared as if acid was sprayed over them.

Very strange and I've never seen them since!


HC
 
We had white fly in Hawaii, it was not good for the trees there. Never heard the sugar water thing before, my old customers who paid big dollars for insecticide treatment would be pissed if that really worked...
 
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  • #14
What did ya'll use to control whitefly in HI?
 
Googled and found this.......Control: Woolly whitefly can be controlled at economically acceptable levels by natural enemies without using chemical control. At least four species of tiny parasitic wasps (harmless to people) prey on the immature stages of woolly whitefly. One or more of these wasps is likely to be established in all areas where woolly whitefly occurs. The population of parasitic wasps will lag behind the rapid buildup of the whiteflies during the summer months. However, by fall their impact should be noticeable as, by then, they often parasitize nearly all of the immature whiteflies in a colony.

Unfortunately, ants, which collect honeydew, disrupt the natural control system and must be controlled to keep the system in balance. Control ants by preventing their access to the tree. First, eliminate alternative pathways onto the tree by pruning all branches so that none touch the ground, adjacent plants or structures. Then prevent access via the trunk by banding it with a sticky nontoxic product such as tanglefoot, twelve inches or so above the ground. To prevent staining of the tree, wrap the trunk with a strip of stiff paper, and apply the tanglefoot to the paper.

In situations involving only minor infestations, simply removing the infested leaves is a very effective strategy. A strong blast from a garden hose directed at the undersides of the leaves will also dislodge adults and some immatures. This has the added benefit of washing off the honeydew and some sooty mold.

Pesticides are not recommended for use against the wooly whitefly. Pesticide use may disrupt the balance of natural predators and pest, and cause a resurgence greater than the original outbreak



Santa Barbara County
Agricultural Commissioner's Office
263 Camino del Remedio
Santa Barbara CA 93110
(805)681-5600
 
Sorry for the delay, I have to admit that I do not remember what chemical was used on them. I sub-contracted that stuff...
 
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  • #19
Was in the neighborhood and decided to check up on the wooly whitefly situation.

The owners hadn't noticed any new outbreaks.

They also didn't follow my directions "Have the gardener spray once a week and mulch to 6"...

I was expecting the worst.

Looks pretty good! 8)

just a few stragglers, might hit it with an oil in the spring, or not.

These are the worst spots.

I noticed four or five yellow jackets hovering around the infected areas.
 

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knot a hippy, get used to seeing it, whitefly will hit mullberry, xylosma, hibiscus, canna lillys, most soft sweet tasty tropicals, even the giant bird of paradise get it

hate climbing in that crap, dont miss it any

i used ed black as my spray guy...i believe he's in HB, in the oc
 
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