According to South Florida Pest and Disease Hotline, whitefly populations are high in beans, squash, eggplants and tomato in Southwest Florida. As a result, Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus is high in most tomato fields.
Older cucurbit and fruiting vegetables are experiencing especially high numbers.
“Some growers report that they are worse than they have ever been while others claim they are not as bad as last year,” according to the South Florida Pest and Disease Hotline.
Producers and consultants along the east coast also report that whitefly pressure is high in older eggplant and tomato fields. Whiteflies are migrating into nearby fields.
Whiteflies are starting to worsen in the Manatee Ruskin area. Some growers have even backed off spraying due to low tomato prices.
Click here for management options.