Plum Curculio vs Citrus Whitefly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Plum Curculio Citrus Whitefly
Scientific Name Conotrachelus nenuphar Dialeurodes citri
Order Coleoptera Hemiptera
Family Curculionidae Aleyrodidae
Size 4-6 mm 1-2 mm
Habitat Orchards Orchards
Diet Fruit Feeders Herbivores
Regions Eastern North America from Canada to the Gulf states Asia (native), North America, Europe, Africa (introduced)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Plum Curculio

A dark brown snout beetle covered in warty bumps that is a major pest of stone fruits. Females carve a crescent-shaped scar around each egg they lay in developing fruit.

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Did You Know?

The distinctive crescent-shaped scar it cuts around each egg prevents the growing fruit from crushing the larva inside.

Citrus Whitefly

A small white-winged whitefly that is a common pest of citrus trees. Adults gather on the undersides of leaves, and heavy infestations promote sooty mold growth from honeydew.

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Did You Know?

It was one of the first insects to be successfully controlled by classical biological control, using the parasitoid wasp Encarsia lahorensis imported from Asia.