whitefly

noun

white·​fly ˈ(h)wīt-ˌflī 

: any of numerous small homopterous insects (family Aleyrodidae) that are injurious plant pests

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Tens of millions of years ago, a tiny, milky-white bug known as a whitefly snatched a gene from its host, an ancient plant. —Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 13 Jan. 2022

Aphids, mites, thrips, mealybugs, scale and whitefly are typical hitchhikers, and could be lurking under foliage, on stems, or even among the roots. —Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 15 Sep. 2022

Whiteflies, the bane of tomato greenhouses, which lay their eggs on tomato leaves, are controlled by the release of Encarsia formosa, a predatory, near-microscopic wasp that lays its eggs in immature whitefly. —Luke Peterson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 18 Oct. 2021

Besides revealing a fascinating piece of biology, the findings may also help protect future crops from the sap-sucking whitefly, per Nature. —Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Mar. 2021

The whitefly would have to ingest those phenolic glycosides when feeding on the tomato plant and that would usually kill it. —Chris Smith, BGR, 26 Mar. 2021

Then, when the virus infected the whitefly, the plant DNA spread and was eventually incorporated into the bug’s genome. —Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Mar. 2021

But the BtPMaT1 gene neutralizes these toxins, so the whitefly can continue to destroy crops undisturbed. —Chris Smith, BGR, 26 Mar. 2021

Humans, too, could help by engineering crops that turn the whitefly’s gene off, making the insect vulnerable once again. —Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2021

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Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above