Whiteflies are the actual bugs that live practically on leaves and vegetables. They belong to the family Aleyrodidae and feed on leaf juice. They damage plants and hinder plant growth; hence are considered a nuisance drooping and yellowing leaves.

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Like other egg-laying bugs, the whiteflies go through several stages before becoming adult flies, from eggs, nymphs, and pupa to adult whiteflies. Found on the lower side of leaves, they appear like tiny dots. Adult whiteflies lay eggs on the underside of leaves to keep them safe and protected. 

What Whiteflies Look Like?

Whiteflies are white bugs that appear like tiny white moths and are very small, around 1 to 2 mm. Their body and wings are covered in a white powdery, waxy substance. They have transparent membranous forewings and hindwings with a wingspan of 3mm. The whitefly eggs hatch, and a young crawling nymph come out. The larva starts sucking on the leaf for nutrition and develops into a temporary pupa that turns into adult whitefly. In this way, the life cycle of the whitefly completes.

Whitefly eggs appear white right after they are laid and become brown by the time they hatch. The nymph is usually oval with perpendicular and flat sides with noticeable pale, waxy filament on the top. Legs are not apparent on the pupa. It appears clear to pale insect scales around ⅙ of an inch.

The adult whiteflies are not visible from afar, but close inspection reveals that they have small triangular-shaped bodies and fly away when disturbed. Sometimes, when a large population of whiteflies inhabits a leaf or a vegetable, they cause sooty molds on leaves, ensuring their presence and making it easier to identify whiteflies.