After the first nymphal change, the legs and antennae are lost and the next intermediate stages assume a fixed position. The nymphs of the greenhouse whitefly are semitransparent or pale green, but color in other species varies considerably. It is dark, more elevated, somewhat segmented, and frequently shows parts of the developing insect. The adult emerges from this pupal case. Crawlers and nymphs.
Adults feed and mate soon after leaving their pupal case.
Females can lay up to 400 eggs in their lifetime, at a rate of about 25 per day, and often in a circular fashion on the undersides of leaves. Eggs hatch in about a week, nymphs feed for about a month, and adults may live for a month and a half. Damage Whiteflies suck plant juices from leaves. Severe feeding may reduce photosynthesis. During feeding these insects exude a sticky substance, called honeydew, that makes plants unsightly when in excess, and also serves as a development site for a black, sooty mold.