1
White flecks that fly.
They lift off, then land right back.
Whiteflies
A puff of tiny white flies?
Brush a leaf. Then meet the predatory mites, tinier still, that eat the young underneath.
Check that it's whitefliesIs it whiteflies?
Whiteflies leave three clues.
2
Flat ovals under the leaves.
Pale, legless and parked in one spot.
3
Sticky, yellowing leaves.
Honeydew, and leaves that pay for all that feeding.
Not quite matching?
White, but not whiteflies?
Fungus gnats
Small dark fliers around the soil, not white ones on the leaves.
Meet the whiteflies
Not a fly. Not even close.
A tiny sap-sucker in a white wax coat.
Whiteflies are relatives of aphids, scale and mealybugs. The white is wax, dusted over four wings and a yellowish body.
What it eats
It drinks the sap and drips the rest.
Every stage sucks plant juice and leaves sticky honeydew behind, and the leaves yellow. Black sooty mold grows on the drips.
Where they live
Adults up top. Everyone else underneath.
Up topAdults.
The ones you notice first.
Under the leavesEggs and young.
Laid on the underside, where the young settle and feed.
The life cycle
Only the first young stage walks.
Warm weather speeds every stage up.
Egg
Tiny and oblong, laid under the leaf.
Crawler
Barely visible. Walks for a few hours, then settles.
Nymph
Flat and oval. Never moves again.
Adult
Four white wings. Flies.
Swipe for the next stage →
Why sprays miss
Even the strong stuff only half works.
Outbreaks often follow sprays that wiped out the insects eating them.
Strange company
Ants babysit them.
Keep ants off the plant and the mites get through.
Time to call in the mites.
What to get
Your room picks the mite.
Question 1 of 2
What are you seeing?
Question 2 of 2
How many plants?
Count them all, not just the ones with damage.How to count
Count a typical six-inch plant as 1, a large 8 to 10 inch plant as 2, a dense shrub or specimen as 3 to 4. A tree? Ask us.
Our pick for you
Amblydromalus limonicus
Limonicus, for humid air. It eats whitefly eggs and young nymphs, and thrips larvae too.
See Amblydromalus limonicusOur pick for you
Amblyseius swirskii
Swirskii, for warm rooms. It eats whitefly eggs and young nymphs and speeds up as the room warms.
See Amblyseius swirskiiOur pick for you
Amblyseius swirskii
Swirskii comes closest. Nothing we sell is written up for whitefly in air drier than about 60%. A dry day is fine, but days of dry air slow it. A humidity meter settles it, or ask us first.
See Amblyseius swirskiiOur pick for you
Orius insidiosus
Orius takes the flyers. It needs 14 hours of light or more a day, so in a winter house that means grow lights. Once flat young show up under the leaves, switch to a mite.
See Orius insidiosusSee all picks
| If you see | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Humid roomYoung under the leaves, humid air (60% or more) |  Amblydromalus limonicus |
Limonicus, for humid air. |
| Warm roomYoung under the leaves, warm and 60% humidity or more |  Amblyseius swirskii |
Swirskii, for warm rooms. |
| Dry roomYoung under the leaves, dry air, or you're not sure | Amblyseius swirskii |
Swirskii comes closest. |
| Only flying adults so farNothing under the leaves yet |  Orius insidiosus |
Orius takes the flyers. |
Our suggested plan
Stop when the undersides stay clean.
- 1
Release day
The mite for your room.
Limonicus if it's humid, swirskii if it's warm.
- 2
Every 2–4 weeks
Another round.
While young keep turning up under the leaves.
- ✓
Stop
Two clean weeks in a row.
Then a sachet keeps watch.
Why do the adults keep flying?
The mites eat eggs and young, not adults. The flyers you see now age out, and fewer new ones come through.
Light cases need less. Go by what you see, or ask us.
How to release
Cards up, mites down.
Before it arrives
Confirm it's whiteflies. Flat ovals under a leaf, and a white puff when you brush it.
Hang yellow cards. One per medium plant. They catch flying adults. The mites don't fly, so they're safe.
Wait out any spray.
Once dryNeem or horticultural oil
1 dayInsecticidal soap
21 daysSulfur
Not on the list? Send us the active ingredient. Where the label asks for longer, go with the label.
Release day
Limonicus leans on humidity more than most.
Gently, to spread the mites through the carrier.
Undersides first, where the young are.
What to expect
Watch the undersides.
- Right after release
Not much to see. The mites are tiny and spread out under the leaves.
- As it takes hold
Fewer young turn up under the leaves.
- When it's working
New leaves come in clean.
New young on new leaves? Go again.
Why treatment fails
Still seeing young? Check two things.
The wrong mite for the room.
Limonicus wants humid air. Swirskii takes the warm room.
Stopped too soon.
New young can keep turning up for a while. Go again while they do.
One less common reason
Spray residue on the leaves. It hits predatory mites as hard as the pests. Check the waits first.
Prevention
Clean leaves? Hang a sachet.
A sachet lets predatory mites out slowly, so they're already there when the next whiteflies land. Both like humid air. Swirskii speeds up as the room warms, so warmth tips it.
Replace every 4 to 6 weeks. A sachet won't catch up with an outbreak. That needs a bottle.
Karen's noteKaren Horn, owner
Check new plants before they join the others. Whiteflies don't knock.
Often shows up with
Warm rooms draw a crowd.
Questions
Hose first, questions after.
Can I just hose them off?
A strong stream of water knocks adults off the plant. It's a good start while the mites are on the way.
Will they come back next season?
Where it's warm they can breed all year, moving from plant to plant. Once it's clean, a sachet holds the line.