Contributing author: Dr. Zee Ahmed, Clemson University.
Whitefly Chemical Control With the Least Possible Collateral Damage
Our new whitefly natural enemies compatibility article came online today in GrowerTalks, dated September 30, 2026. It was written by Powlomee Mondal, a second-year Ph.D. student in the Turf and Ornamental Entomology Lab, with Dr. Zee Ahmed. The article reviews 73 published studies and explains how effective whitefly chemistries can be used alongside biological control
without disrupting natural enemies.
As the article notes, “compatibility is not a fixed property of a chemistry, but depends on dose, timing, strain and exposure pathway”
Some key points include:
- Insect growth regulators such as buprofezin, pyriproxyfen, fenoxycarb, and the feeding inhibitor flonicamid were repeatedly reported as compatible under the conditions tested.
- Several modern chemistries, including spiromesifen, spirotetramat and sulfoxaflor, showed low disruption to Amblyseius swirskii and some parasitoids when used under the reported conditions.
- Materials such as imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, bifenthrin and spinosad caused high mortality or strong sub‑lethal effects and should be avoided during active releases.
- Compatibility patterns should be interpreted as risk categories, not guarantees, because exposure conditions vary widely across laboratory, greenhouse and semi‑field studies.
This update gives growers a practical reference for choosing softer options when biological
control is active and for avoiding chemistries that disrupt natural enemies.
Read the full article here: https://www.growertalks.com/Article/?articleid=28234
Figure 1. Ten whitefly species used for training and diagnostic reference. Adult sizes aren’t shown to scale because the photographs were taken at different focal lengths and angles. Colors may differ from field appearance due to lighting, camera settings, and natural variation. Individuals within a species can vary in appearance, influenced by age, host plant, and environmental conditions. Not all whiteflies appear uniformly white. Image credits: Ahmed et al. 2016, Whiteflies of Florida Picture Manual, University of Florida. Prepared by Zee Ahmed, Clemson University.
