Whitefly on cabbage and kale

Whiteflies on brassicas are a different situation from whiteflies on tomatoes. The cabbage whitefly (Aleyrodes proletella) and related species that colonize kale, cabbage, and other brassicas in the eastern US are cool-season pests that build on fall crops and overwinter on host plant debris. They.

Whiteflies on brassicas are a different situation from whiteflies on tomatoes. The cabbage whitefly (Aleyrodes proletella) and related species that colonize kale, cabbage, and other brassicas in the eastern US are cool-season pests that build on fall crops and overwinter on host plant debris. They are primarily a problem on fall-harvested kale and collards, not the hot-summer crops. Unlike tomato whiteflies, the brassica-infesting species are not major virus vectors in North America.

I don't grow brassicas at my Long Island property, so this guide draws on NC State Extension, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and Clemson HGIC research.

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The pest

The primary whitefly species on brassicas in North America is the cabbage whitefly (Aleyrodes proletella), with some contribution from the greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum). Per Cornell Cooperative Extension, these species prefer cool conditions (60–75°F, 15–24°C), which is why they peak in fall on cool-season crops.

Per NC State Extension, unlike the silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia argentifolii) on tomatoes, brassica whiteflies are not confirmed vectors of economically significant viruses in North American vegetable production.