July 2022
- How do I get rid of white fly on my carrots?
There are several things you can do to help to control white fly using IPM (integrated pest management), a non-chemical approach to managing pests. Prevention and early intervention are best. Making sure the plant is as healthy as possible is important as a stressed plant is much more susceptible to pests and diseases.
- Plant carrot seedlings sparsely so you can avoid thinning the seedling. This is important because when thinning, a smell is released that is attractive to the female fly.
- Use an insect proof cover, like the floating row cover, to protect the plants and act as a barrier to any pests.
- White flies are very small and don’t fly very high so planting in a raised bed might be beneficial.
- Crop rotation improves soil quality, thereby lessening the chances that pests and diseases will take hold.
- Pick a heartier variety of carrot that is resistant to the white fly. Check the package or plant id tag.
- Time sowing to miss the first generation of the fly (early spring) and harvest before late August to avoid the second generation.
- Use companion planting around your carrots by planting a strongly scented plant such as onions, chives, sage or rosemary nearby to deter white fly which are drawn to the smell of the carrot. Likewise, you can make a garlic spray and mist your plants with this to disguise their smell.
- Introduce beneficial parasites such as parasitic wasps, lacewing larvae, ladybugs, and big-eyed bugs as well as nematodes which control the white fly by eating them.
- Keep the area weed free, especially from bindweed which acts as a host for white fly.
Sources:
http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/r102300811.html
https://www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/carrot-fly
https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/extension-gardener-handbook/8-integrated-pest-management-ipm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/carrot/carrot-companions.htm
https://www.timescolonist.com/homes/helen-chesnuts-garden-notes-to-stave-off-carrot-fly-keep-crop-covered-4690369
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