Greenhouse Whitefly vs Ambush Bug

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Greenhouse Whitefly Ambush Bug
Scientific Name Trialeurodes vaporariorum Phymata americana
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Aleyrodidae Reduviidae
Size 1-1.5 mm 8-12 mm
Habitat Underground Meadows
Diet Fungus Feeders Predators
Regions Worldwide North America
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Greenhouse Whitefly

A white-winged sap-feeding insect commonly found in greenhouses and warm climates. Adults and nymphs produce honeydew that leads to sooty mold growth on plants.

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Did You Know?

The parasitoid wasp Encarsia formosa has been commercially reared since the 1920s specifically to control this whitefly.

Ambush Bug

A small crab-like bug that waits motionless on flowers to ambush visiting pollinators.

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Did You Know?

It can capture prey many times its own size with its powerful raptorial forelegs.