Identification
Adults whiteflies are tiny winged insects, usually found on undersides of leaves. They are powdery grey to white in colour and 1.25- 2 mm long.
Damage They Cause:
-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 wasp -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