I Lost a War With Whiteflies and Here is What I Learned

I tried everything from Neem oil to Sevin spray without success.

The author took this photograph.

I live in urban Florida and have a raised planter box in my small yard. Until now, I have grown tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, herbs, beans, and eggplants with mostly success. I have battled aphids, snails, grasshoppers, and more. I usually try non-toxic natural weapons first. However, this summer, the whiteflies beat me.

The above photograph shows an eggplant with whiteflies characteristically underneath the leaves. I consulted Google, my local Florida Agriculture extension division, and the University of Florida's agriculture department. The following is a synopsis of the war's history.

I sprayed them under the leaves with a forceful stream of water. Then I applied Neem oil. No change. I tried Safer soap, and no better. I tried Sevin dust (zeta-cypermethrin), but it is difficult to apply under the leaves. I placed yellow traps and got some of them, but they also trapped other helpful bugs, pollinators, and one lizard. There were enough whiteflies around to keep the infestation going. I tried Sevin spray, but it did not work either.

I was about to order hundreds of ladybugs to eat them, but the flies were jumping to my pepper plants by then. The eggplants would…