Aphids have the ability to reproduce rapidly and many generations are produced in a year. Each female aphid produces 50 to 100 daughters during her life and each daughter begins reproducing in six to eight days. Whiteflies are common pests on many ornamental plants. Plants most frequently attacked include allamanda, citrus, crepe myrtle, ferns, gardenia, hibiscus, ligustrum, viburnum and many bedding and foliage plants. The wings and body are covered with a fine, white powder of wax.
Whiteflies have piercing-sucking mouthparts which puncture the leaf and suck the plant juices.
Top sides of leaves on infested plants become pale or spotted from the feeding of these insects on the undersides of the leaves. The crawlers insert their mouthparts into the leaves and remain stationary for the remainder of theirimmature stages. After molting three times they pupate. During recent years, the sweetpotato whitefly has become the major species attacking ornamental plants, especially in central and south Florida. This whitefly is not yet parasitized to any extent and possesses the genetic ability to rapidly become resistant to chemical pesticides.