New ficus pest found in Florida

The fig whitefly, Singhiella simplex, was collected from Ficus benjamina in Miami-Dade County in late fall.

“This is a major pest for ficus growing as hedges and trees,” said Lance Osborne, entomologist at University of Florida.

Osborne observed defoliation of several infested trees.

“We placed a few papaya banker plants in the area because Encarsia sopia has been reported as a natural enemy,” he said.

Other hosts include F. altissima Blume, F. bengalensis L. and F. racemosa L.

Plants with severe infestations will drop many of their leaves. If the foliage is disturbed, watch for small clouds of tiny white, gnatlike adult whiteflies flying from the foliage.

The body of the adult whitefly is yellow and the wings are white with a faint grey band toward the middle of the wing. Immature stages can be found on the underside of the leaves. The pupae are small, tan to light-green discs with red eyes measuring about 1.3 mm long and 1 mm wide.

“There is little literature on the biology of the fig whitefly,” said Greg Hodges, entomologist at Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. “In Florida, the lifecycle may be similar to that of the other Singhiella species with at least three generations per year.”

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For more: Lance Osborne, University of Florida, (407) 884-2034; lsosborn@ufl.edu. Greg Hodges, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, (352) 372-3505; hodgesg@doacs.state.fl.us.