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I have some tomato plants indoors. Recently a number of very small (1 mm or so) moths dwell on the leaves.

What are these? Are they harmful? What can I do about them?

bstpierre
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neydroydrec
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    Could you post a pick of these moths so that we can see them? – wax eagle Sep 09 '11 at 13:05
  • @Benjamin I totally agree with ["waxeagle" above comment](http://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1979/what-are-the-mini-white-moths-on-my-tomato-plant#comment-2717), that said take a look here: [PESTS OF TOMATO](http://ipm.ncsu.edu/ag295/html/tomato_key.htm) -- "**Greenhouse whitefly -** White moth-like insect about 1.5 mm long..." – Mike Perry Sep 09 '11 at 15:20
  • See very similar question here: [What are the teeny tiny white bugs on my tomatoes?](http://gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/1914/what-are-the-teeny-tiny-white-bugs-on-my-tomatoes) – Lisa Dec 08 '11 at 04:54

1 Answers1

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Chances are very good this insect is commonly called whitefly. As a tomato plant is considered an annual and we are are getting close to end of season where I live you could ignore the problem as they do not damage the fruit.

If you are keeping the plant indoors then you should act quickly or the whitefly can spread to a wide variety of plants. Check the link for recommendations: What has worked for me is:

  • hose off the underside of the leafs first to physically remove the adults
  • place yellow sticky strips close by to attract newly hatched
  • a dilute solution of soap and water applied every few days for seven to ten days should catch all new issues. The hairy leaves of tomato plants present some problems in getting good coverage with soap. You may need to apply soap and rinse afterwards with water to prevent a buildup
kevinskio
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