Tropical Bed Bug vs Greenhouse Whitefly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Tropical Bed Bug Greenhouse Whitefly
Scientific Name Cimex hemipterus Trialeurodes vaporariorum
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Cimicidae Aleyrodidae
Size 5-7 mm 1-1.5 mm
Habitat Forests Underground
Diet Blood Feeders Fungus Feeders
Regions Southeast Asia, Africa, South America Worldwide
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Tropical Bed Bug

A tropical relative of the common bed bug that also feeds on human blood. It is the dominant bed bug species in many parts of the tropics.

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Did You Know?

It can hybridize with the common bed bug in laboratory settings, though hybrids are infertile.

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.