The whitefly is a small sucking insect and a close relative of scales and mealybugs. It is often present in great numbers on the underside of leaves and may be abundant on greenhouse and house plants.
Eggs are laid on the underside of leaves and hatch in 4 to 12 days into active six- legged crawlers. The crawlers move about for a short time; then they insert their beaks in the plant leaves and start sucking sap.
After the first molt, they look like small scales. After the second molt, the insects become pupae, and finally the four-winged adults leave the pupal skins. Whitefly secretes a honeydew which supports the sooty-mold fungus.
