Dealing with whitefly in tomatoes

Whitefly is a serious threat to tomatoes. In addition to causing damage, it’s a vector for the devastating tomato curly stunt virus, says Bill Kerr.

- Bill Kerr.

Despite its name, the whitefly is not a fly but a ‘true bug’: it has two pairs of wings and a rigid, needle-like mouthpart that enables it to suck up plant fluids. There are more than 1 500 species of whitefly.

Whitefly is a very small insect and this complicates control. It can be a major problem in a tomato crop for two reasons: the physical damage it causes and the fact that it is the vector for the highly destructive tomato curly stunt virus (ToCSV), known elsewhere as tomato yellow leaf curl virus.

The sweet potato whitefly Bemisia tabaci is very active in tropical and subtropical climates and is the species that transmits ToCSV. The greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum) is more of a problem in temperate climates.

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