Pitted Ambrosia Beetle vs Greenhouse Whitefly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Pitted Ambrosia Beetle Greenhouse Whitefly
Scientific Name Cnesinus strigicollis Trialeurodes vaporariorum
Order Coleoptera Hemiptera
Family Curculionidae Aleyrodidae
Size 2-3mm 1-1.5 mm
Habitat Gardens Underground
Diet Fungus Feeders Fungus Feeders
Regions North America, South America Worldwide
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Pitted Ambrosia Beetle

A tiny dark brown bark beetle that cultivates fungal gardens inside its tunnels. It introduces ambrosia fungi into the wood which it and its larvae eat.

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Did You Know?

It is one of many beetle species that practice true agriculture cultivating fungal crops inside tree tunnels for food.

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.