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Whiteflies

Whiteflies

Family Aleyrodidae

Insectalso: Whitefly, Sweet potato whitefly, Silverleaf whitefly, Guava whitefly

Tiny white winged insects that rise in a little cloud when you brush an infested plant. They suck sap from the undersides of leaves, coat the plant in sticky honeydew, and are notoriously hard to control once a population takes hold.

🔎 How to spot it

Adults are about 1/16 inch, moth-like, with powdery white wings, clustered on the undersides of leaves; disturb the plant and they flutter up in a cloud. The young look completely different: flat, oval, scale-like nymphs that sit still on the leaf undersides and are easy to overlook. Look for yellowing or wilting leaves, a sticky shine of honeydew, and the black sooty mold that grows on it.

🥀 Damage it causes

By sucking sap, whiteflies yellow, silver, and dry the leaves and weaken the plant. Their honeydew coats foliage and fruit and grows black sooty mold that blocks light, and several species transmit plant viruses. Damage is worst when nymphs are abundant on the leaf undersides.

🛡️ Prevent it

Inspect new transplants and bring home only clean ones, since whiteflies often arrive on infested nursery plants. Lay reflective mulch around young plants to confuse them, pick off and bag heavily infested lower leaves, and protect the natural enemies that control them by avoiding broad-spectrum insecticides.

🧯 If it is already here

Hose adults off the leaf undersides or remove them with a handheld vacuum in the cool morning. Hang yellow sticky traps to catch adults and track numbers. Treat persistent infestations with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, coating the undersides and repeating, and strip off the most heavily encrusted leaves.

💡 Good to know

Whiteflies are difficult to control once established, so early action and prevention matter most. Natural enemies do much of the work, including lacewings, lady beetles, minute pirate bugs, bigeyed bugs, and tiny parasitic Encarsia wasps; outbreaks often follow the loss of these beneficials to pesticides.

🌱 Plants it attacks

714 plants in the library can be attacked by this pest

Acorn SquashAdirondack Blue PotatoAdzuki BeanAfrican Blue BasilAfrican MarigoldAgapanthusAgeratumAgrimonyAji Amarillo Pepper🍓Albion StrawberryAlice du Pont Mandevilla🥔All Blue PotatoAlmondAloe VeraAmbrosia CornAmerican BasswoodAmerican Beauty Dragon FruitAmerican BeechAmerican PersimmonAmethyst Falls WisteriaAmish Paste TomatoAnaheim PepperAnemoneAngelique TulipAngeloniaAniseAnise HyssopAnjou PearAnnabelle Smooth HydrangeaAnnual VincaApeldoorn TulipApple MintApril Tryst CamelliaArbequina OliveArizona Sun Blanket FlowerArkin CarambolaArmenian CucumberAroniaArp RosemaryArugulaAshwagandhaAsian PearAsian PersimmonAtemoyaAtlantic Giant Pumpkin🥕Atomic Red CarrotAucubaAugust Beauty GardeniaAunt Molly's Ground CherryAutumn Joy SedumAvocadoBachelor's ButtonBalsam FirBalsam PoplarBanana PepperBarbara Karst BougainvilleaBartlett PearBay LaurelBayberryBeach PlumBeauregard Sweet PotatoBecky Shasta DaisyBee Balm🍅Beefmaster TomatoBenarys Giant ZinniaBengal Tiger CannaBetter Boy Tomato🥬Bibb Lettuce🍅Big Beef TomatoBig Boy TomatoBilberryBing CherryBitter MelonBlack BeanBlack Beauty EggplantBlack Beauty ZucchiniBlack Beluga LentilBlack Cherry TomatoBlack CrowberryBlack Currant🍉Black Diamond WatermelonBlack Kabouli ChickpeaBlack Krim TomatoBlack RaspberryBlack Sapote🥬Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce🥕Black Spanish RadishBlack Tartarian CherryBlack WalnutBlack-Eyed PeaBlack-eyed Susan VineBlood OrangeBloomsdale SpinachBlue Bird DelphiniumBlue Bird Rose of SharonBlue FescueBlue Lake Green BeanBluecrop BlueberryBocking 14 ComfreyBok Choy

For educational and informational purposes only. Pest control advice is general guidance drawn from university cooperative extension sources; always identify a pest positively and read and follow the label on any product before use, especially around food crops, children, and pets.