Whitefly

whitefly

Identification

adults are winged fly-looking insects, usually found on undersides of leaves
grey to white (1.25- 2 mm long)

Damage
-plant sap is removed from the leaves and young shoots causing plant stunting and leaf drop
-excretion of honeydew, reducing photosynthesis and causing sooty mold to colonize on the leaves
-often a disease vector, ingesting virus particles when feeding and spreading them to other plants

Beneficial Insects for control

Encarsia formosa (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae)
-parasitoid wasps
-excellent control of greenhouse whitefly
-lays eggs in pupae of Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Greenhouse whitefly)

Delphastus catalinae (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)
-predatory beetle

Micromus variegatus (Neuroptera: Hemerobiidae)
-generalist predatory adults & larvae

 

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