WHITE FLY

WHITE FLY “Trialeurodes vaporariorum”

hiteflies are an unsightly and destructive blight on a garden, covering plants with a cloud of white, moth-like insects and masses of white eggs. They are usually found on the underside of leaves, sucking the sap out of the infested plants. Besides taking the plant's nutrients, these bugs can also encourage the development of mold and spread certain plant viruses. Fight these insects through several angles of attack if possible, introducing their natural enemies to your garden, hanging traps, and inspecting infested plants regularly for manual whitefly removal.

Whiteflies are soft-bodied, winged insects closely related to aphids. They can be found in most any region, but they are so tiny that they are usually camouflaged. They can be as small as 1/12 of an inch, and are often found in clusters on the undersides of leaves. They are active during the daytime, so they are easier to spot than some other nocturnal pests. Whiteflies are capable of over wintering and reproducing throughout the year in warmer climates.

Whiteflies have developed resistance to many synthetic pesticides making chemical control difficult.

HOW TO IDENTIFY WHITEFLIES

Whiteflies ingest plant juices and in turn produce a sticky substance known as honeydew. Honeydew left on its own can cause fungal diseases to form on leaves. Plants will become extremely weak and may be unable to carry out photosynthesis. Leaves may dry out and turn yellow, and growth will be stunted. Check undersides of leaves around the veins for flies, even if they aren’t visible, feel leaf surfaces for honeydew.

Eggs are also laid on the undersides of leaves. Adult females can produce up to 400 eggs, which can hatch anytime between one week and a month. They are usually laid in a circular pattern.

Life Cycle

Young nymphs overwinter on the leaves of host plants. In late spring adult females deposit 200-400 eggs in circular clusters on the undersides of upper leaves. The eggs hatch in 5-10 days and first instar nymphs, which resemble small mealybugs and are called crawlers, move a short distance from the egg before flattening themselves against the leaf to feed. The remaining nymphal stages (2nd, 3rd and 4th) do not move. A non-feeding pupal stage follows and within a week, young adults emerge to repeat the cycle. There are many generations per year. Whiteflies develop from egg to adult in approximately 25 days at room temperature. Adults may live for one to two months.

Note: All of the immature stages are easily overlooked. They are usually pale, almost translucent, and blend with the color of the leaf to which they are attached. Superficially they are similar to several scale insects.

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WHITE FLY

WHITE FLY “Trialeurodes vaporariorum”

HOW TO IDENTIFY WHITEFLIES

Life Cycle

How to control WHITE FLY ?

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