Not Soap: Use This Bathroom Staple To Keep Whiteflies Out Of The Garden

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

If you've ever had an infestation of whiteflies in your garden, you'll know the damage they can do to your plants and edible crops. Not to mention the sticky substance that they exude, which can cover leaves and stems and end up growing sooty mold. This, in turn, attracts ants. While there are a number of ways to get rid of whiteflies, one way to control their population and keep them out of your garden is through the use of sticky traps. These can be purchased from your local hardware store, but if you take a look in your bathroom cabinet past the soap, you'll spy a product you can use to DIY your own traps: Vaseline or petroleum jelly.

You'll find that whiteflies are especially attracted to the color yellow, but aphids and thrips also like white or blue. That's why many commercially available sticky traps are bright yellow in color. However, if you've ever used these in your garden, you'll find that they're a little awkward to put up precisely because they stick to everything, even your fingers. On the other hand, while petroleum jelly will still make a great trap, it's much easier to handle. These DIY sticky sheets will also help you get a handle on your outdoor fruit fly infestation. Just keep in mind that the traps may also end up sacrificing some other beneficial insects on occasion, such as bees and hoverflies, if they get too close.

Making your own traps is really easy. All you need is some yellow cardstock and a jar of Vaseline — a bathroom staple most people already have in their bathroom. Cut your cardstock into rectangles that are about 6 inches long and punch a hole at the top so that you can thread some twine through it for hanging. Cover both sides liberally with petroleum jelly using a knife or a popsicle stick, and hang these out in your garden using twine or twisty bread ties. Place your traps about two feet above the affected plants, making sure they're far enough from your plants so the leaves don't end up sticking to them. You could also staple the cards onto a wooden paint stirrer or bamboo stake and put this into the ground near your plants. 

Alternatively, you could use paper cups or plates, painting them yellow before smothering them with petroleum jelly. Another great idea is to use bright yellow paint sample cards, which you can usually pick out for free at a hardware stores. Once you've hung your sticky traps outside, be sure to monitor them regularly and replace them once they've captured a bunch of insects. You'll probably need to do this once a week, depending on how many whiteflies are hanging around. Finally, you'll want to avoid using these sticky traps to keep pests out of your bird feeder because they could harm birds that may be tempted to get too close to feast on the captured insects.