Greenhouse Whitefly vs Shield Bug

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Greenhouse Whitefly Shield Bug
Scientific Name Trialeurodes vaporariorum Palomena prasina
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Aleyrodidae Pentatomidae
Size 1-1.5 mm 12-14 mm
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Fungus Feeders Sap Feeders
Regions Worldwide Europe, Asia
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.

💡

Did You Know?

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

Shield Bug

Also called stink bugs for the foul-smelling liquid they release when disturbed. Changes color from bright green in summer to bronze-brown before overwintering.

💡

Did You Know?

Shield bugs can change color with the seasons — they produce green pigment in summer for leaf camouflage and switch to brown in autumn as leaves change.