Biological Control Hits the Mark
December 9th, 2009 · by EnjoyGardening.com
This whitefly pupae has been colonized and killed by a fungal species called Beauvaria bassiana. Amazingly, the yellow coloured part of the photograph shows the adult whitefly was starting to emerge when the fungus took hold. The fuzzy-looking fungus is being tested on our poinsettia crop and is just one part of our biological control program. The naturally occurring fungus is harmless to people, but deadly to insects such as whiteflies and aphids. Under ideal conditions (high humidity and fairly cool temeperatures) the fungus will germinate within an hour and be visible to the human eye within three days. The fungus is working well and will likely be trialed on other crops such as annual vines.