Use This Bathroom Staple To Keep Whiteflies Out Of Your Home

Whiteflies aren't as commonly spoken about as other insects, but they can easily make their way into your home and wreak havoc on your houseplants or loose fruit and vegetables that you may have lying around. Whiteflies are a part of the Aleyrodidae family, and they like to inhabit the underside of leaves. They damage houseplants by feeding on their sap, potentially weakening plants and stunting their growth. An infestation can also be easy to miss at first, since the tiny insects tend to congregate out of sight beneath the foliage. However, if you do spot them around your houseplants, there's an easy way to trap the adults using something you likely already have in your bathroom: Vaseline.

Vaseline is a particular brand of petroleum jelly that is instantly recognized around the world. It's a mixture of mineral oils and waxes that creates a moisture barrier when applied to the skin. But how can it be used to get rid of whiteflies in your home? All you'll need for this simple DIY is some Vaseline and yellow cardstock. Together, these inexpensive materials can mimic the yellow sticky traps commonly used to monitor and capture flying plant pests.

Once you've identified a whitefly infestation, it's time to set up your traps. Gently shake the leaves of an affected houseplant; if a cloud of white-looking dust appears, then you know whiteflies are present. There's no exact rule for the size, but start by cutting a piece of yellow cardstock to place near the affected plant. Apply a coating of Vaseline to the yellow cardstock, and you're good to go. You can also attach the cardstock to a wooden craft stick so it's easy to position in the soil. 

But why is this the best way to get rid of whiteflies on indoor houseplants? Adult whiteflies are attracted to yellow, so they'll fly toward the cardstock and become stuck in the Vaseline. Once they are stuck, they are unable to fly away. Check the trap regularly and replace the cardstock once the surface becomes crowded with insects or covered in dust and debris. If you give this a go and feel like you want to give an alternative method a try, or you're running low on Vaseline, you can create a half-and-half concoction of Vaseline and dish soap. The sticky surface can help capture adult whiteflies, but additional treatment may be necessary to eliminate an infestation.