Knowra Whitefly Whitefly Whiteflies are small sap-feeding insects in the family Aleyrodidae. Adults and immature stages often live on leaf undersides, and some species transmit plant viruses.
Stylet : A slender, piercing mouthpart used by insects to reach fluids inside plants or animals. Whiteflies use paired stylets to reach phloem sap within leaves.
Bemisia tabaci : A globally distributed whitefly species complex that damages crops and transmits many plant viruses. It is a major target of crop monitoring and pest-management programs.
Sternorrhyncha : A suborder of plant-feeding insects that includes aphids, scale insects, psyllids, and whiteflies. Whiteflies belong to this group of mostly sap-feeding insects.
Aphid : A small sap-feeding insect in the superfamily Aphidoidea, often found in colonies on plants. Aphids also produce honeydew, but are distinct from whiteflies and belong to another group.
Phloem : The plant vascular tissue that transports sugars and other organic nutrients. Many whiteflies obtain food by tapping this nutrient-rich transport tissue.
Greenhouse whitefly : Trialeurodes vaporariorum, a whitefly species that infests greenhouse and outdoor plants. Its infestations are common in protected cultivation and ornamental crops.
Hemiptera : An insect order characterized by piercing-sucking mouthparts, including bugs, aphids, and whiteflies. Aleyrodidae is one family within this diverse insect order.
Mealybug : A scale insect covered with powdery wax, commonly found feeding on stems and leaves. Mealybugs can look like whitefly nymphs but are usually larger and more visibly wax-covered.
Honeydew : A sugary liquid excreted by insects that feed on plant sap. Whitefly feeding leaves honeydew on plants, where it can support sooty mold.
Integrated pest management : A pest-control strategy combining monitoring, prevention, biological control, and selective treatments. Whitefly populations are managed most sustainably by combining multiple control methods.
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