Class: Insects
Size: 1 to 10mm
Weight: Variable
Appearance: Yellowish, brownish, red; wings covered with mealy wax dust
Sexual dimorphism: Yes
Food: Plant sap
Distribution: Worldwide, approx. 1’500 species, 56 species in Europe
Sleep-wake rhythm: Diurnal and nocturnal
Habitat: Vegetable and ornamental plants
Natural enemies: Other insects, spiders and birds
Sexual maturity: 1 to 2 months
Mating season: All year round
Egg laying: 4 to 7 eggs per day
Threatened with extinction: No

• Greenhouse whiteflies are usually found on the undersides of leaves and near flowers and leaf bases.
• Greenhouse whiteflies use their proboscis to pierce the pathways of plants where they transport nutrients.
• During their meals, they not only extract nutrients from plants, but also infect the puncture wounds with viruses that can cause considerable damage, especially in agriculture.
• Greenhouse whiteflies are pests of vegetables and ornamental plants and can cause great damage in greenhouses. The damage is mainly caused not by sucking up the sap, but by secreting the honeydew The honeydew begins to mould, especially at high temperatures and high humidity.
• The honeydew secreted by greenhouse whiteflies is a welcome food source for ants, wasps, bees, other insects and even some vertebrates. It is also said that ants “milk” the whiteflies. Ants use their antennae to make contact with whiteflies, releasing the sweet honeydew. In return, the ants protect them from predators (other insects, spiders and birds).
• Dry and warm-humid weather is the main reason for the explosive reproduction of the greenhouse whiteflies, especially in summer. The female whiteflies then give birth to up to six fully developed female offspring asexually every day.
• After hatching, the nymphs sit under the leaves and suck plant sap. They are not choosy and can eat plants from 84 different families. In the fourth larval stage they pupate (oval puparium) with five pairs of humped wax nozzles on the upper side from which long wax filaments emerge.