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whitefly

whitefly

1 8.1
A small white insect that sucks sap from plants and damages them
  • noun
  • /ˈwaɪtˌflaɪ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : mosca blanca
  • Virus particles wind up in a whitefly's saliva if it feeds on an infected plant.
  • sweetpotato whitefly
  • silverleaf whitefly
  • whitefly eggs

The four or five major insect offenders for house plants are mealy bugs, aphids, spider mites, fungus gnats, and whitefly.

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Examples

  • Until the end of the 1980s, the whitefly was considered a secondary pest.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Alfalfa lines with some whitefly resistance have been developed by Larry Teuber at UC Davis.

    Academic text (1997)
  • So it reveals whether the predator recently had a meal of whitefly eggs.

    Academic text (1997)
  • The new strain of whitefly has recently been named B. argentifolii, silverleaf whitefly.

    Academic text (1995)
  • The sweet potato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, has been present in Honduras for many years.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Lettuce chlorosis virus stays active for 4 days in whitefly saliva; tomato chlorosis, only 2 or 3 days.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Earlier, the scientists found that the fungus doesn't invade a whitefly already doomed by a developing wasp parasite.

    Academic text (1997)
  • In March 1995, the EPA approved commercial use of Mycotrol, a product made with a whitefly-killing fungus, Beauveria bassiana.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Besides boll weevils, the fungus controlled sweetpotato whiteflies, plant bugs, cotton fleahoppers, and other pests, Wright says.

    Academic text (1994)
  • In a severe infestation, a great cloud of whitefly will rise when you touch the plants.

Synonyms

Aleyrodidae
vswhitefly
  • Specialized
9.9

Small insects called whiteflies that suck plant sap and harm crops

is the everyday name for these small sap feeding pests in gardens and greenhouses
greenhouse whitefly
vswhitefly
  • Specialized
7.2

A small white insect that lives in greenhouses and eats plant sap

is the broader term for similar small sap pests beyond greenhouse settings
Trialeurodes vaporariorum
vswhitefly
  • Specialized
9.9

A small white insect that lives on and damages greenhouse plants

is the more general name used for similar small sap pests
Trialeurodes
vswhitefly
  • Specialized
9.9

A small white insect like a tiny fly that feeds on plants and can damage crops

is the everyday name for these small sap pests rather than a taxonomic group
Bemisia
vswhitefly
  • Specialized
9.9

A very small white insect called a whitefly that often damages crops

is the common term for such small plant sap pests found in gardens
Bemisia tabaci
vswhitefly
  • Specialized
9.9

A small whitefly that feeds on and harms many crop plants

is the general name for similar small sap pests often seen in gardens
sweet-potato whitefly
vswhitefly
  • Specialized
6.1

A small insect that attacks sweet potatoes and other crops and spreads plant viruses

is the broader term for these sap feeding pests, not crop specific
citrus whitefly
vswhitefly
  • Specialized
7.1

A small white insect that eats leaves of citrus trees and weakens them

is the general name for similar sap feeders not limited to citrus trees

Compounds

citrus whitefly
  • Specialized
7.1

A small white insect that eats leaves of citrus trees and weakens them

greenhouse whitefly
  • Specialized
7.2

A small white insect that lives in greenhouses and eats plant sap

sweet-potato whitefly
  • Specialized
6.1

A small insect that attacks sweet potatoes and other crops and spreads plant viruses

Surface Forms

whitefly singular
whiteflies plural

Morphology

whitefly = white + fly (transparent) = white + fly

The compound is a straightforward descriptive combination of 'white' + 'fly' and its meaning is directly inferable by learners, though entomologically a whitefly is not a true fly.

Etymology

Whitefly: The word white ('the color') + fly ('a small flying insect') names the tiny white bugs that fly around and feed on plant sap, so the name helps you remember they are small white flying pests.