Happily, there are easy and safe ways to control them. You can also keep yourself cool at the same time, which is a benefit to all of us in hot, sticky weather. Turn the afflicted leaves over and look at all the critters closely. If you have a magnifying glass or hand lens, you can get a close look. This is a fun and education exercise to do with your keiki, or kids in the neighborhood you might talk story with about plants.
Many ladybugs eat and control whiteflies.
Look for the typical red and black ladybugs, and also for the kind with tiny black, or black with orange, spots. These were propagated widely to control the major spiraling whitefly epidemic that hit Hawai ' i in the 1980s. The larval stage of ladybugs are crawlers that are oblong and striped with white and yellow. You can actually see them moving along like little vacuum cleaners, sucking up the whiteflies. It is good for all of us to remember that there are many more good insects than bad ones, and to try and tell the difference.