Whitefly whitefly whitefly

[Marb67]

Why oh why oh why oh why can't I get rid of this incredibly annoying aphid on my chilli plants ? I am trying to keep them going till next season as they have been taken in from the cold greenhouse but the whitefly keeps coming back despite clearing time and time and time again. I take them outside, jet hose the foliage, dig out the top layer of compost and replace. Wash the pots, vacuum and sterilise the windowsill and yet they keep coming back

[mothhawk]

Don't know if it works with whitefly, but I dealt with springtails in the soil by covering the surface of the soil with 1cm sharp grit/gravel, and the same amount in the saucer, watered only when the soil was dry, and from the bottom only, and one drop of washing up liquid in the water, to break the surface tension so the little blighters in the saucer drown.

[Marb67]

Well I can't believe this. Complete new soil in pots, rinsed with hose before and they are back already on top of the soil and windowsill DESPITE cleaning the whole sill.

[mothhawk]

Where do you keep the soil? It is probably infested. I bought a bag of supposedly sterile compost one year and it was full of fly.

[Nicos]

Can you microwave the compost?
I know it kills off good bacteria etc…but it may well put a stop to the whitefly if that is the source?