In 1986, a whitefly similar to the sweetpotato whitefly suddenly became a noticeable pest of poinsettias and other plants in Florida and California. This whitefly then spread rapidly throughout the greenhouse industry in the United States and is now the most frequently encountered whitefly pest of poinsettia and gerbera daisy. In 1994, this whitefly was classified as a new species and called the 'silverleaf whitefly'. This group is very large and diverse - many of the species have similar life histories. However, the females and males differ radically.
Male scales are winged, although they have only one pair of wings.
There are numerous types of scales. Adult female armored scales have a hard, waxy covering over their body - the covering, which can be separated from the body, protects the insect from adverse weather conditions and natural enemies. This covering also protects the eggs which are contained underneath the covering, which somewhat resembles a turtle shell. Males are winged. Armored scales do not produce honeydew.