Particular and good wasp against whitefly

What is Encarsia-System?

• Used to control whitefly
• The parasitic wasp Encarsia formosa that parasitizes both the greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum and the tobacco whitefly Bemisia tabaci
• Mainly females 

What are the benefits of Encarsia-System?

• Biological control of whitefly larvae through host feeding
• Efficient at lower temperatures
• Develops faster than the whitefly population
• Can distinguish parasitized from non-parasitized whiteflies
• Easy to monitor as parasitized larvae of the greenhouse whitefly turn black and those of the tobacco whitefly turn brown
• Available as loose pupae and as pupae on cards which make introduction in crop easy 

How does biological control with Encarsia-System work?

• The females prefer to puncture the second larval stage and then suck them (host feeding), 30 to maximum 70 larvae
• Female E. formosa lay their eggs in the third and fourth stage of the larvae and parasitize about 250 to maximum 450 larvae
• For a complete development, E. formosa prefers to parasitize the greenhouse whitefly 

In which crops can you introduce Encarsia-System?

• Vegetable crops such as tomato and pepper
• Ornamental crops such as anthurium and rose 

Want to know more? Please contact your Biobest advisor for tailored advice.

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