Dialeurodes citri (citrus whitefly)

Biological control: Citrus blackfly has several natural enemies. In Florida, the most effective agents for controlling citrus blackfly are the parasitic wasps, Encarsia perplexa Huang & Polaszek (Huang and Polaszek 1998) and Amitus hesperidum Silvestri (Hart et al. 1978).

Spray with an insect spray registered to control whitefly and make sure you spray underneath the leaves where they try to hide. You will need to spray 2 or three times to kill the eggs which will hatch.

Aleyrodidae

What are whiteflies? Whitefly are small winged insects, which fly up in clouds of tiny white flies from affected plants when disturbed. Whitefly set up home and live out their lives on the underside of leaves. Three generations of whitefly live under the same leaf and feed by sucking up sap which weakens the plant.

They are dangerous to humans, as they can pass on diseases to plants. These infected plants are not good for human consumption. Whiteflies can seriously injure plants by sucking juices from them, causing leaves to yellow, shrivel, and drop prematurely.

Spraying the underside of your plant’s leaves with Neem oil or a soap spray can kill these pests. For best results, spray in the mornings or evenings when it’s cooler. To avoid blocking photosynthesis, don’t spray the top surfaces of your plant’s leaves (the whiteflies don’t hang out there, anyway).

Whitefly are sap sucking insects that attack many types of plants, including veggie crops. However, leafy greens and other edible plants showing signs of whitefly infestation are still perfectly safe to consume. Whitefly has caused considerable damage to our kiwiberry plant this spring.

It takes about 3 hours of 21 degree Fahrenheit to kill 90% of whitefly adults, but would take 57 hours of 21 degree Fahrenheit to kill 90% of whitefly nymphs (even longer for eggs).