Vaseline Flying Insect Garden Trap: Whiteflies

I came across this while searching ways to kill whiteflies. I am not an organic gardener, although I try to be at least an 80% organic or more and 20% or less other. I found this general recipe is several places. I modified it to hang above my kale.

Vaseline Sticky Trap

This is great for flying insects. It does work for whiteflies. It will not remove an entire infestation but it does reduce their numbers.

1. 4" X 8" plastic card or realistically something yellow.  (poke a hole in one end)
2. Yellow spray paint. It needs to be water proof.
3. Vaseline or similiar. It is the sticky.
4. String
5. Sticks or similiar

You want to cut something in 4" X 8" rectangles. Is does not need to be flat. A milk jug is a good friend. Thick cardboard that won't get damage too much from rain is fine too. Yellow poster board probably works and you don't have to paint it. I made one to hang over each plant.

If it isn't yellow then you have spray paint it.

Cover your rectangle with vaseline on both sides. Be liberal. It is the sticky part of the sticky trap.

To mount it, you can tie a string to it and tie the card to a stick. It should hang just above the plants. This way the wind won't blow it into the plants. If you place it to the plant's side, the wind could blow it into the vegetable plant and it will stick to the leaves. Don't worry if it sticks to the stick. This isn't a pretty trap.

If you have a long row, you can put stakes at the beginning and end of your row and tie a string tightly between the stakes above your plants. Tie the traps to the strings so that they hang just above your plants.

Leave it there. The vaseline won't dry. You can change them when needed but they will last a very long time.