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What Eats Whiteflies?

There are plenty of natural predators that eat whiteflies including the ladybug, parasitic wasp, and lacewig.  Also called natural biological control or beneficial insects, natural predators are one of the most effective ways to reduce your whitefly population.

Parasitic Wasp

Encarsia formosa Gahan is a host feeder used widely in greenhouses to control the whitefly population.  The adult female wasp seeks vegetation infested with whiteflies in which to lay 50-100.  As they eggs hatch the larvae begin feeding on the whiteflies from the inside out.  It takes about 10 days for the adult parasite to emerge from the dead whitefly.

The parasitic wasp is most effective when the whitefly nymph population is low.  It has been noted that in high populations that wasps spend time feeding off the honeydew deposited by the whitefly rather than seek a host feeder.

Ladybugs

Ladybugs or ladybeetles are another natural predator beneficial to the home garden.  Ladybugs feed off of several soft bodied insects.

To attract ladybugs to your garden plant a variety of vegetation for food and shelter including grains, and pollen and vector plants.

Lacewings

Lacewings are a winged insects with soft bodies and protruding eyes.  The larvae of the lacewing feeds ravenously on soft-bodied insects like whiteflies and aphids making them a fantastic all-purpose natural biological predator for your garden.

When the female is ready to lay her eggs, she will lay them right next to a food source so that they have plenty to eat when they hatch.

Only the larvae feed on soft-bodied insects. The adults prefer nectar so in order to entice them to lay eggs in your garden you need to provide plenty of flowering plants.  Choose plants that have long bloom durations and stagger planting dates to provide blooms all season long.