White Flies on Hibiscus!!

Oh no! I bought 2 new tropical hibiscus trees last week at the end of season clearance sale at my nursery. I am mere weeks from having to put them in the greenhouse and today I discovered (gasp) something that I can only imagine to be white flies. They are tiny, knat-looking flies that go everywhere when I shake the branches! Ugh!

What can I do? Is there anything that I can treat with this late in the season? Is there anything that has actually worked for anyone?! All ideas are welcome!

Yikes, you don't want to bring those in the house. I would wash off as many as I could and after the plant is dry spray it with neem oil or some other ultrafine horticultural oil. You will have to do this several times to smother all the subsequent generations of flies.
Read the directions on the bottle carefully to see how frequently you can spray.

I have had excellent luck using worm castings as a top dressing on the soil to prevent white flies from establishing a population. I am just not sure if this would work with plants where the bugs are already established.

Thanks for your advice ardesia! I am new to gardening (my hubby and I bought our first home last fall)...Is neem oil something that would be available at Home Depot or Lowes? Also, you mention doing it several times but the temps are supposed to drop into the lower 40's at night here later in the week...I wonder if I should leave the hibiscus out in the cold while I am completing all these treatments or perhaps put them in the garage and treat them there...yikes!

Thanks for the advice on worm castings too - I have 3 different tropical hibiscus plants now and would love to own many more in upcoming summers! An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

Neem oil is very good in keeping bugs under control, however, with a severe infestation you may initially need to apply something that kills on contact. I recently sprayed my hibiscus with Garden Safe Rose and Flower insect killer with no damage to the Hibiscus leaves, however, it is important to apply the spray to both the top and underside of the leaves. In addition, after you apply the spray it is important to keep the plants in the shade until the leaves dry, otherwise the sun will burn the leaves.

Insofar as where these sprays can be purchased, I know I bought the Garden-Safe Rose and Flower Insect Killer at Home Depot. Neem Oil can usually be found at a good nursery as I never seen it at Home Depot (at least not here in VA). Logees comes to mind insofar as an internet site that sells 100% Neem Oil. I am not sure of their web address, but I am sure it can be found easily or even on Dave's Garden Watchdog. Snug :o)

Found it--here's the Neem Oil:

http://www.logees.com/prodinfo.asp?number=K7349

Thanks Snug as a Bug - I don't know what I would do without the helpfulness of DG's! I am going to run by Home Depot after work and see what I can come up with! If I can't find neem oil anywhere than at least I know I can order it online - my problem is I want it all right now! I want to treat my plants while they are still outside...we have low 40's predicted later this week and while I may can drag them back out for a while longer, I think they need to at least be in the garage to avoid getting too chilly!

Read the labels carefully and check and see what the primary ingredient is. I found a product (can't remember the name) but it was made by Fertilome which said something like pesticide/fungicide but when I looked at the ingredients it was neem oil. Neem does have fungicidal properties also.

Oh great - thanks! I know my garden center carries fertilome products so maybe I will be able to find neem oil locally after all!

were you able to get rid of your white flies before moving them in? I spray all my plants well before moving them in.. spent one winter fighting spider mites and white flies.. never again... I spend the month before the move in de-beugging my plants!

Greetings from your neighbor in Odessa! I bought neem in the co op but use lots of other things too.

Whiteflies can be the most difficult of pests to get rid of. Your best and most certain cure for them is the relatively new and generally safe pesticides that include imidacloprid. Look for Bayers Tree and Shrub (drench in pot) or Bayers Rose and Flower Insect Killer (spray) as it is highly likely that this product will actually work quickly and well. Commercial growers breathed a sigh of relief when this product became available a decade ago because it is systemic, long lasting, and really works against whiteflies and aphids.

I use to be able to get a granular systemic made by Heigh Yield I think, but am not able to find it any longer. Is the above Bayers a granuale or liquid?