Greenhouse Insect Management 2014 Season***

Dr. David Smitley

Dept. of Entomology, Michigan State University
January 9, 2014

Starting clean: Do not carry-over insects from one crop to another. Keep thrips numbers down to less than
10/card/week in the fall and winter on poinsettias and Dracaena. Avoid keeping houseplants or allowing weeds to
grow in the greenhouse. When each batch of media arrives for a new crop, check it for fungus gnats by filling a 1 gal
Zip-lock bag 1/2-full with moist soil. If fungus gnat adults emerge within 3 weeks, consider applying a fungus gnat
treatment at planting time. Check incoming plant material carefully. If insects are found treat them with an
appropriate product listed below to start as clean as possible.

Scouting: Monitor thrips and whiteflies with yellow sticky cards. Change cards once per week. Use at least one
card per house or one per 2,000 ft2. Check the first plants to flower for thrips. For spider mites and aphids, check
susceptible plants like marigold (mites) and pepper (aphids), weekly. Potato wedges can be pushed into growing
medium and checked 24 hours later for fungus gnat larvae.

Systemic insecticides: Use any imidacloprid product, Tristar, Flagship, Safari, or Aria in poinsettia pots, lily
pots, or in hanging baskets prone to problems with whiteflies, aphids, mealybugs or soft scales. Note: Aria does not
work on silverleaf whitefly. Please note that the systemic nicotinoid insecticides listed above are not reliable for
control of thrips and mites because of resistance problems. Some populations of aphids and whiteflies may also be
resistant to imidacloprid and other nicotinoid insecticides.

Preventing outbreaks: If yellow sticky cards or scouting indicates an increase in aphids, mites, thrips, fungus gnats
or whiteflies, apply one of the following insecticide products once per week with a standard hydraulic sprayer, or
twice per week with a fogger-type sprayer.

Thrips: Aria, Distance, Hachi-Hachi (Note- Hachi-Hachi is very phytotoxic to impatiens, New Guinea
impatiens and possibly some other plants), Mesurol, Orthene 97, Overture, Pedestal, Pylon,
Sanmite. Conserve, Avid and Safari were dropped from this list because of resistance problems,
but they may still be effective for susceptible populations.
Aphids: Aria, BotaniGard, Distance, Endeavor, Enstar II, Flagship, any imidacloprid product,
Kontos, Marathon, Orthene 97, Precision, Safari, Thiodan, Tristar
Whiteflies: Aria (not for silverleaf whitefly), Azatin, BotaniGard, Distance, Endeavor, Enstar, Kontos,
Ornazin, Orthene 97, Pedestal (do not use on poinsettias), Precision, Safari, Sanmite, Talus,
Judo. For soil systemics- whiteflies are least likely to be resistant to Safari.
Mites: Akari, Avid, Floramite, Hexygon, Judo, Kontos, Ovation, ProMite, Pylon, Sanmite, Shuttle-
O, Sirocco, Tetrasan, Ultiflora
Broad mites and cyclamen mites: Avid, Akari, Judo, Pylon, SanMite, Sirocco, 1 % horticultural oil. Reduce
humidity to below 80% if possible.
Fungus gnats or shore flies: Azatin XL, Adept (not on poinsettias), Benefit, Distance, Marathon, Flagship, Tristar
or Safari as a soil drench. Allow soil to dry between waterings.
Mealybugs: Aria, Distance, Flagship, Orthene 97, Safari, Talus and Tristar applied once per week as foliar
sprays.

*** Follow all instructions on the pesticide label and note warnings; local restrictions may apply. Products listed above
performed well in a university efficacy test, however, resistance levels vary considerably. This is not an endorsement of the
products listed above, nor is it a criticism of products not mentioned. Some insecticides may be toxic to certain plant species or
cultivars. Check labels for phytotoxicity statements, and spray a few plants first to test for potential problems.

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