Rhododendron (>Rhododendron)-Whitefly

Dialeurodes chittendeni

Pest description and crop damage Small white insects with wings held roof-like over their heads. The eggs are small and white and laid on the underside of the leaf. Once the eggs hatch, the small oval nymphs settle and remain stationary, feeding at that site. Honeydew can be present with the associated black sooty mold fungus. The insect overwinters in the nymph stage. There is one generation a year.

Management-chemical control

See:

Several applications may be necessary, about 5 to 7 days apart.

For more information

Johnson, W.T. and H.H. Lyon (1991), Insects That Feed on Trees and Shrubs, 2nd ed., Cornell University Press (p. 318).