Pest Profile Photo credit: Stephen Luk, Bugguide.net Common Name: Ash whitefly Scientific Name: Siphoninus phillyreae Order and Family: Hemiptera, Aleyrodidae Size and Appearance: Length (mm) Appearance Egg Pale yellow in color; surrounded by waxy deposits; laid on undersides of leaves in a circle. Larva/Nymph 0.3mm, 1st instar Nymphs hatch and are called crawlers; they crawl around briefly crawler; to find a leaf vein to feed on, then they become immobile until they are adults. Young nymphs are translucent, but are progressively covered in white wax and become opaque; they are oval shaped; have 4 instars. Nymphs have spike-like protrusions around them that have tiny drops of wax on the tip; Adult 1-2mm White insect that is winged and found on the underside of leaves; wings have dusty white wax; head, thorax, and abdomen slightly yellowish; have red eyes; females live 30-60 days; males live about 9 days. Pupa (if 0.8-1mm The pupae, nonfeeding stage, are white with 2 longitudinal tufts applicable) of white wax; have 40-50 glassy tube like structures which make droplets of wax; pupal case is tan or beige colored. Type of feeder (Chewing, sucking, etc.): Nymph and adult: Piercing-sucking Host plant/s: Feed on shade and fruit trees. Some hosts include ash, pear, pomegranate, mulberry, crabapple, hawthorn, plum, apple, citrus, flowering pear, serviceberry, western red bud, crape myrtle, tuliptree, and lilac. Description of Damage (larvae and adults): Whitefly feeding on plants can cause serious damage. Adults and nymphs suck sap from leaves. They extract nutrients from the plant which can cause defoliation, loss of fruit, and possibly even death. If there is a heavy infestation, the ash whitefly can cause leaf wilt and cause the fruit to be smaller then normal. Sooty mold can grow on the honeydew they produce. References: Cranshaw, W. (2004). Chapter Six: Sap Suckers – Ash whitefly. In Garden insects of North America: The ultimate guide to backyard bugs. (pp. 288). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Huffman, D., Kidd, K.A., Baker, J.R. (1997). Ash Whitefly in North Carolina. North Carolina State University. Retrieved March 3, 2017 from: https://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/O&T/trees/note113/note113.html Gabriella, C., De Barro, P. (1999). Ash Whitefly – a new pest. The Nursery Papers. Nursery Industry Association of Australia. Retrieved March 5, 2017 from: https://www.ngia.com.au/Attachment?Action=Download&Attachment_id=1370 Nguyen, R., Hamon, A.B. (2000, August). Ash whitefly – Silphoninus phillyreae (Haliday). Featured Creatures, University of Florida. Retrieved February 27, 2017 from: http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/ash_whitefly.htm Paine, T., Bellows, T., Hoddle, M. (n.d.). Ash Whitefly, Siphoninus phillyreae. Center for Invasive Species Research, CISR. University of California. Retrieved March 7, 2016 from: http://cisr.ucr.edu/ash_whitefly.html Rosetta, R. L. (2016, September). Ash whitefly. Oregon State University. Retrieved March 7, 2016 from: http://oregonstate.edu/dept/nurspest/Ash_whitefly.html .