What does Whitefly mean?
Whiteflies are small insects that feed on the undersides of plants. To most people, they would appear to be tiny moths. There are more than 1,500 known species around the world.
More Info On Whitefly
Whiteflies are sap-sucking insects that feed on the nutrients plants receive and can literally suck the life out of the plant, ultimately killing the leaves or the plant. As the insects feed, the leaf will yellow, wither, and die as the vital nutrients that should feed the plant are going to the insect.
Whitefly rarely arrive as just one insect and often swarm a greenhouse by the hundreds without any warning.
Whitefly can be a real problem in the greenhouse and are notoriously difficult to prevent. Most often a grower will cover the plants with fine netting in order to prevent the flies from even landing on the plants.
There are some commercial insecticides available to prevent and control whitefly, which are considered very effective.
The white fly thrives in a greenhouse or grow room setting where it enjoys the warm weather and ambient humidity. The first indication that a cannabis grower’s plants might have a whitefly infestation is when the foliage of the marijuana plant starts to turn yellow. The ends of the leaves will also start to dry out. The plant’s growth significantly slows and its overall appearance deteriorates.
After feeding on the sap of the marijuana plant, the insect secretes a honeydew-like excrement that accumulates on the foliage. The excrement usually starts to form a gray mold overgrowth, which turns black in time. Whiteflies are often easy to to detect; if a grower lightly shakes the marijuana plant, the whiteflies will fly off the foliage all at once.
Certain strains of marijuana are more at risk for developing whiteflies. Insecticidal soaps and neem oil work to control these irritating, highly damaging insects. Along white whiteflies, other common insects to look out for in a marijuana grow room include spider mites, fungus gnats, and aphids.
This definition was written in the context of Cannabis
