Insects - White Flies
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  (June) We live in El Dorado and there seems to be more and more Mealybugs (I think that is what they are, white, and very good at hopping) and I wonder if you can tell me what product would be helpful in getting rid of them. Thanks for any help.

  I don't think it is mealybugs, but possibly white flies or even aphids, which come in a wide range of colors. While mealybugs are white, you wouldn't see them moving. They are a soft bodied scale and only the tiny babies move by crawling. The adults form a white cottony growth around themselves to protect them from predators and insecticides. Whiteflies tend to "hop" or fly up when disturbed, and they aren't easy to control. Their two favorite hosts are often gardenia and hibiscus, but they attack a wide range of plants. Take your insects to your local county extension office for proper identification. Once you know what your insect is, they will give you some insecticide choices. If you are spraying both ornamentals and edibles at the same time, make sure the product is labeled for both, and pay attention to waiting periods from the last spray until harvest.

  (June) I live in Jacksonville, Arkansas and I have a gardenia bush that has a dark film covering the top of the leaves. The covering started flaking off, so I sprayed it with water. The majority of the film came off. What do you think it is, and is there a special spray for this condition?

  The problem you are having with your gardenia is a common one -- it is black sooty mold. The mold is a by product of honeydew which is a by-product of white flies. White fly insects love gardenias, and I have already seen them this year. I am somewhat amazed at the number of insects already present on many plants, actually, especially since it has been so cool and wet, but they are there. These sucking insects suck sap out of the plants, and then they excrete a sticky honeydew. Wherever the honeydew lingers, whether it is on foliage or patio furniture, eventually a black sooty mold will form. The only way to prevent the mold is to take care of the insects. Resmethrin, Orthene are two insecticides that give some control. You can also use Di-syston granules or the Bayer Advanced tree and shrub insecticide. Keep in mind that the Bayer product and the Di-syston take some time to enter the plant and become effective.

  (September) I am having a problem with white flies this year. After using an aerosol and several doses of Malathion 50plus, nothing has phased them. Usually we have much color from our lantana and now we have no blooms. I would just throw away the plants if I knew that eggs have not been laid in the soil and we will have the same problem next year. Do you have a solution?

  If you have annuals or even perennials that are infested with insects, at this stage in the growing season, I would destroy the plants, or at least the foliage (for the perennials). If you can catch the problem as it begins, then sprays may be best, but heavy infestations that have really built up, call for more extreme measures. Clean up the site, by removing the mulch as well. As the weather cools off, spray the area with a horticultural oil. This should take care of any insect eggs that you don't get. If your shrubs are infested, or if the problem reoccurs earlier in the season next year, try some other options: Resmethrin (trade name -Intercept or Whitefly and Mealybug Spray); Bayer Advanced tree and shrub insecticide, or permethrin. The oil products could also be used on any shrubs this fall or winter.

  (October) I have fought what I am told are white flies this year, unsuccessfully. The "beasts" in question are tiny white flying insects that erupt in a cloud around my two possum haw bushes. What do I use to get rid of them and how do I use it. I have been using a triple action insecticide-miticide-fungicide every seven days.

  White flies can be a real nuisance to control, especially when they have built up during the growing season. For now, rake up the leaves from your deciduous hollies after they drop and discard them. Often white flies lay eggs on the underside of the foliage of the host plant. You can spray this winter with a dormant oil to kill any over wintering insects. Otherwise, continuing a spray schedule now is not needed. These insects should be slowing down with cool weather. Next spring you can apply an application of Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub Insecticide in mid March, pouring it around the drip line per label instructions. This could give you a season of control. Or you could hope this was a one-time problem, and wait until it reoccurs next year. If it does use a recommended insecticide early in the season, before they have a chance to build up. Several products are labeled for use on existing white flies: permethrin, resmethrin and Orthene, are just a few.

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