By Clint Thompson
The upcoming below-freezing temperatures should help South Georgia specialty crop producers trying to manage the growing whitefly population.
Ty Torrance, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension vegetable agent for Colquitt, Tift and Worth counties, discusses why warmer weather is not good for farmers with vegetables vulnerable to whitefly damage.
“There’s still some whiteflies around, not near the populations that we had earlier in the fall,” Torrance said. “The warmer weather allows them to speed up their life cycle. When we had our couple of cool snaps and we saw the numbers drop, it’s not because they lost their food source, it’s because it slowed their life cycle down. They weren’t reproducing as fast.”
Reproduction should really hit a snag this weekend when temperatures drop below freezing. According to weather.com, low temperatures in Tifton, Georgia are expected to 19 degrees Fahrenheit on Friday night. Temperatures should stay near or below freezing all weekend.
Torrance reminds growers that proper sanitation helps reduce whitefly populations. Once producers are done harvesting their crop, they should destroy what remains. It prevents a plant from serving as a host for the whiteflies to feed on.
“We’re always encouraging growers to go ahead and pull the stakes and strings and destroy the crop for the winter,” Torrance said.
Feature keyphrase: Georgia whitefly populations
Slugs: Georgia whiteflies sub-freezing temperatures
Category: Pests
Tag: Georgia whiteflies
Use picture of whiteflies.