geoffs@brl-sem.ARPA (Geoffrey Sauerborn ) (08/29/85)
' <--- an anti-tomatoe-sap sucking moth-natt Around this time of year, (and especially during September and early October), my tomatoe plants get these little white bugs the size of natts. One way to describe them is they look like little moths the size of natts. They are apparently living parasitcally off the plant's sap (they suck the plant juices). But they don't seem to bother the fruit. They are more of an annoyance than anything else. When I go into the tomatoe patch, brushing against the plants causes these little pests to take to the air by the hundreds in a slow motion panic. They get stuck all over my cothes and hair. Does anyone else have such troubles? (I don't want to mess with a pesticide since the fruit doesn't seemed threatened.) Geoff Sauerborn
beth@gymble.UUCP (Beth Katz) (08/30/85)
Geoffrey Sauerborn writes: > Around this time of year, (and especially during September and >early October), my tomatoe plants get these little white bugs the size >of natts. One way to describe them is they look like little moths the >size of natts. They are apparently living parasitcally off the plant's sap >(they suck the plant juices). But they don't seem to bother the fruit. What you seem to have is the dreaded whitefly. They are hurting your plants. The larvae and the adult flies munch on the tomato sap and create a sticky substance that can turn moldy and kill the munched leaves as well as the leaves the sap drops on. At this point, you might be able to just ignore them because the tomato season is almost over. Supposedly you can also spray them off with water (I haven't had success with this0, use sticky bright yellow paper to catch them (they like yellow), or spray them with rotenone based products. My indoor tomatos have had these for the past two years. I can't seem to get rid of them. You have to spray every seven to ten days until all the larvae die. I'm currently using Ortho Tomato and Vegetable Insect Killer. The major ingredients are pyrethrins. Choose your weapon. Beth Katz {seismo,allegra}!umcp-cs!beth