Silverleaf whitefly on tomato
On tomato this whitefly matters for two reasons besides honeydew: nymph feeding causes irregular ripening, with pale streaks and hard white tissue inside the fruit, and adults carry tomato yellow leaf curl virus. In greenhouses, UMass advises confirming the species before choosing a parasitoid; Eretmocerus is the one for Bemisia, and parasitised scales turn light brown. In the field, clean transplants, reflective mulch and host-free gaps do more, because no release stops incoming adults spreading virus.
At a glance
- Damage
- Virus spread, uneven tomato ripening, silvered squash leaves
- Type
- Sap feeding · virus vector
- Settings
- Under glass, Field, Garden
- Threshold
- About 4 adults per leaf in the field (UC IPM)
- Release
- Eretmocerus eremicus
- Rate
- 1–10 /m² per release, weekly, at least 3 releases (Koppert)
How to confirm it
Smaller and yellower than greenhouse whitefly, with the wings held tent-like and a small gap between them along the back. The pupae under the leaves are yellowish, slope down to the leaf and have no long wax fringe.
Identification, lifecycle, degree days and every control option are on the full Silverleaf whitefly profile. Not sure it is this pest? Answer four questions about the damage.
Work it out
How many do I need?
Carries Eretmocerus eremicus and tomato through so nothing is re-entered. Open the calculator →