There’s a new epidemic attacking Southwest Florida landscaping called the spiraling white fly. They have no preference of attack: trees, palms and shrubs are fair game for the little white insect.
About The Spiraling White Fly
The Spiraling White Fly looks like a small white moth. When they first appeared in the Southwest Florida area we probably didn’t think much about them because we thought they were just another typical moth. Once landscaping started dying more research went into the identity of the damaging creatures.
They come from the “Aleyrodidae” family. They prefer tropical and subtropical climates which makes our Florida habitat an ideal home for them. They continuously reproduce except during periods of cooler weather. There are nearly 80 species of white flies found just in the State of Florida with over 1400 found world wide.
They are called “spiraling” white flies because they lay their eggs on the surface of plant leaves in a semicircle pattern. They feed on plants by piercing the leaves and sucking the sap out of the plant thus weakening and killing the plant if left untreated.
Spiraling White Flies Cause Damage To Landscaping and More
You may be under attack of spiraling white flies if your trees, palms or shrubs appear to have a dusty moldy deposit on their leaves. In addition to attacking landscaping elements they cause a terrible sticky dew on driveways, cars, pool cages and more.
Steps To Take If You Are Under Attack of The Spiraling White Fly
If you notice white spots on your leaves the first and best course of action is to wash them off with a soapy water combination. Next you should contact a professional pest control company to apply a chemical treatment to the soil. Applying pesticide to the entire plant will kill off beneficial insects. Your pest control company will be able to determine if one treatment will be sufficient of if follow up treatments will be necessary. They may even suggest an annual contract.
Keep Your Eyes Open To Signs of Spiraling White Flies
Spiraling White Flies seem to be a permanent nuisance to our Southwest Florida climate. The best defense is an offense. Inspect the leaves of your plant often and treat at the first sign of infection.
If you’ve already been a victim of Spiraling white flies and need to replace some plants or trees that were damaged by the insect feel free to contact us for an estimate.
Be sure to watch this great YouTube Video about this pest:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4Ze-Sc9Baw
