whitefly

American  

[hwahyt-flahy, wahyt-] / ˈʰwaɪtˌflaɪ, ˈwaɪt- /

noun

• whiteflies
  plural

1. any of several plant-sucking, homopterous insects of the family Aleyrodidae, having the body and wings dusted with a white, powdery wax, and being widely distributed chiefly in tropical regions where they are often serious crop pests, as Dialeurodes citri citrus whitefly, commonly occurring on citrus trees, and Trialeurodes vaporariorum greenhouse whitefly, inhabiting greenhouses.

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whitefly British  

/ ˈwaɪtˌflaɪ /

noun

1. any hemipterous insect of the family Aleyrodidae, typically having a body covered with powdery wax. Many are pests of greenhouse crops

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• whiteflies
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of whitefly

First recorded in 1885–90; white + fly ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

whitefly whiteflies

"Fossils of adult whitefly insects are not uncommon, but it takes extraordinary circumstances for the puparia -- the protective shell the insect emerges from -- to become fossilised," Dr Kaulfuss says.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 2, 2024

Published in the journal Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments, a new study reveals rare whitefly insect fossils have been found in Miocene age crater lake sediments at Hindon Maar, near Dunedin.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 2, 2024

I do draw the line at the whitefly.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 19, 2016

Deltamethrin is targeted at aphids, mealy bugs, whitefly, fruit moths, caterpillars on field crops, roaches, horseflies, mosquitoes and fleas.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 8, 2010

In addition, roadways and ditches around the valley are being cleared of weeds that help sustain the whitefly.

From Time Magazine Archive

Adult whiteflies are tiny insects about 3mm in size, smaller if they are immature.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 2, 2024

The halberd fern gene protected the cotton from whiteflies and other sucking pests, and Singh has now isolated other fern compounds that deter chewing insects, such as caterpillars.

From Science Magazine ● Nov. 16, 2023

And other insects need also beware, including termites, red palm weevils, whiteflies and other agricultural nuisances.

From Salon ● Mar. 12, 2023

The country’s major pest problems began in the 1990s - first whiteflies, then bollworms which feed on flower buds, withering them and damaging fruits.

From Reuters ● Dec. 8, 2017

The whiteflies are held in a bag, which I then place in the freezer, away from the ice cream.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 19, 2016

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