Whitefly populations remain closely watched in southern Florida.
According to the South Florida Pest and Disease Hotline, scouts report pressure in Southwest Florida vary by location and crop stage, though overall population levels are moderate and increasing. Elevated nymph populations are observed in older tomato fields.
Whiteflies remain low in most conventional watermelon and tomato fields. Organic vegetables are experiencing high infestations along with the tomato yellow leaf curl virus.
In other areas, specifically in the Everglades Agricultural Area, low whitefly populations levels were seen in broccoli with moderate levels reported in bean fields.
Along the east coast, scouts are reporting that levels are low and appear to be well controlled in eggplant fields. Moderate pressure was also observed in squash field, probably due to its close proximity to old tomato fields. Low population levels were reported in brassicas with moderate levels in bean fields.
Dakshina Seal, entomologist at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Tropical Research and Education Center, reports moderate levels of whiteflies in beans, squash, eggplant and cabbage and low levels of pepper and edamame.
Insect Background
Whitefly infestations are significant because of their potential impact throughout the year. They typically migrate from winter vegetables to spring vegetables to agronomic crops, like cotton, to fall vegetables and back to winter vegetables. The buildup of whiteflies is concerning since their feeding injuries in vegetables can lead to virus transmission, including cucurbit leaf crumple virus, cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus, cucurbit chlorotic yellow virus, squash vein yellowing virus and tomato yellow leaf curl virus.