[mumofstig]

My Calabrese and Romanesco are simply smothered with them, all the lower leaves black and dying  I've removed the netting, even if the birds and butterflies get at the brassicas - it can't be worse than it is now 

I wonder whether, next year, to revert to slightly bigger mesh netting, so that Ladybirds and Hoverflies can get inside to eat some of them?

[JayG]

My 5 year old cayenne plants live on a bedroom window sill, which means I rarely if ever open the window, but that didn't stop them becoming covered in both greenfly and whitefly a few weeks ago, so these are both very resourceful pests!

In you case mum I'd probably do what I did with my chillies - a dilute soap spray followed next day by a measured blast from the hose buys you a bit more time.

(I did take the trough outside first!  )

[snowdrops]

Or maybe fine environmesh to exclude the whitefly? I had it under debris netting last year not to that extent, but enough that I didn't want to bring them in home so I prepared them outside with a drop of oil in the water, it seemed to help to remove the whitefly

[arh]

That's a very good! point Mum, exclude one thing and another problem crops up, but surely larger netting would only exclude the birds? which, (if you are lucky), eat the insects, can anyone give a definitive study on the enviromesh?, ie, does it create other problems at all.

[sunshineband]

Or maybe fine environmesh to exclude the whitefly? I had it under debris netting last year not to that extent, but enough that I didn't want to bring them in home so I prepared them outside with a drop of oil in the water, it seemed to help to remove the whitefly

We have found this helpful this year, after last year's swarm living cosily under debris netting we put up to keep diamond back moths out..... can't win sometimes!

[Dr_Pepper]

I'm glad it's not just me that swapped caterpillars for whitefly by covering the brassicas in netting!

Unless the seal between netting and soil is perfect the whitefly seem to get in and thrive in the protected environment.

This year we have uncovered the brassicas and are spraying organic insecticidal soap if we see adults of circular egg clusters when harvesting. In low temperatures the whitefly adults are quite slow, so easy to hit with the spray.

[arh]

I was planning to "debris net" my sprouts next year, but I may have a rethink on it now, this year I did a "squashem" routine and it seemed to work very well, mind you I did let the caterpillars get a head start,  .

[Mr Dog]

We regard whitefly as extra protein. Don't believe there's a way (spraying excepted) to keep 'em away.

[Salmo]

I did see somewhere that a hand held vacuum cleaner is effective.

[arh]

I don't think that SWMBO would be very impressed if I filled her vacuum cleaner with white flies. 
Seriously though, are these "white flies" eaten by other insects/birds etc.

[mumofstig]

Seriously though, are these "white flies" eaten by other insects/birds etc.

They are eaten by

Ladybirds and Hoverflies

and yes some birds do eat them.

[arh]

Thank you Hun, I think that I will try the "squashem" routine again next year, but a little earlier, , that'll let the ladybirds etc have the white flies, and the birds can have the caterpillars I miss.