Tomato Facts

Generally I have never had many pests on my tomato plants but there are some pests such as Greenfly and Whitefly that pop up time and time again.

Greenfly (Aphids)

Greenfly aren't always green, they can be pink, brown or black.  Generally appearing on the soft new shoots of tomato plants they suck the sap away from the plant and at the same time introduce viruses which not only distort the tomato fruits but if left without checking their progress will eventually kill the plant. A by product called "honeydew" is secreted by the greenfly which in turn is eaten by ants, which is why you often see ants "farming" the greenfly.

Greenfly can be controlled a variety of  ways, the best and most environmentally friendly  being with the introduction of a parasitic insect that feeds on the greenfly or by hanging yellow sticky papers.

Insects that attack aphids include Ladybirds and their larva, Hoverfly larva, parasitic wasps and lacewings.

Whitefly

These are tiny, moth-like insects that look like clouds of dust when you disturb the plants.

Once again they reduce the plant vigour by sucking at the sap.

If you are growing your tomatoes indoors both of these pests can be controlled by hanging yellow sticky traps in the greenhouse. These work continuously for up to 2 months.

If you choose to use an insecticide, try   An All-In-One Insecticide (Bug) Spray - This comes ready to use and you can  apply it safely to all fruit and vegetables with the added bonus of being able to harvest the crop the day after spraying.