By Edward Beasley
Recently over the past week I have seen a small amount of whiteflies in cotton. This is a little earlier than we expect, but with the prolonged dry weather we should expect anything. The main concern with this situation is the use of Bidrin when spraying for stink bugs.
Bidrin is an organophosphate, which is harsh on beneficial insects, which can ultimately increases the chances of having a high population of whiteflies. Whiteflies should not be taken lightly and can be a serious pest, but if scouted correctly with timely applications can be managed.
This post is not to alert anyone into panic, but mainly to keep everyone aware of the problems we may face in the future if correct actions are not taken in the meantime.
Source:uga.edu