Introduction: There is a new pest attacking ficus trees and hedges in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties, Florida. This pest was identified as the fig (ficus) whitefly, Singhiella simplex, and is a new US continental record. Whiteflies are small, winged insects that belong to the Order Hemiptera which also includes aphids, scales, mealybugs, and bugs. These insects typically feed on the underside of leaves with their “needle-like” mouthparts. Whiteflies can seriously injure host plants by sucking juices from them causing wilting, yellowing, stunting, leaf drop, or even death. 

Description and Damage: The leaves of ficus trees infested with whiteflies begin to turn yellow before the leaves are dropped from the plant. Ficus trees without their leaves are one of the most obvious symptoms of a whitefly infestation. This whitefly has been most commonly found infesting weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) but has also been reported on F. altissima (lofty fig, false banyan tree), F. bengalensis (also called “banyan tree”), F. microcarpa (Cuban laurel), F. aurea (strangler fig), F. lyrata (fiddle-leaf fig), and F. macllandii (= F. binnendijkii) (banana-leaf fig). This whitefly may eventually be found on other species of ficus. 

If the foliage is disturbed the small, white gnat-like adult whiteflies can be seen flying from the foliage. The adult whitefly resembles a very small moth with a yellow body and white wings with a faint grey band in the middle of the wings. Immature stages (eggs and nymphs) can be found primarily on the underside of the leaves. Prior to adult emergence, the nymphs are tan to light green discs with red eyes. The underside of infested leaves look like they are dotted with small, silver or white spots which are actually the empty “skin” of the pupae after the adult emerges. 

Biology: The life cycle of the ficus whitefly is approximately one month. Eggs which are usually laid on the underside of leaves hatch into a crawler stage. The crawler wanders around the leaf until they begin to feed. From this point until they emerge as adults, they are immobile and remain in the same place on the plant. These feeding, non-mobile stages (nymphs) are usually oval, flat, and simple in appearance. The early nymph stages can be very difficult to detect. 

There have been reports of this whitefly killing ficus trees and hedges. There have been cases of branch dieback which sometimes can be severe and in a few cases plant death. In most cases, the trees and hedges will grow new leaves. If the tree or hedge has suffered from a massive loss of leaves, it is important not to overwater. Without leaves, the plants are less efficient at taking in the water and start to rot in the roots or lower trunk which may lead to plant death. If the twigs are still supple, the plant will produce new leaves in a few weeks. As soon as new growth is evident, a systemic insecticide applied to the soil may provide protection to the new growth.

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To view this complete article, please reference the Univerisity of Florida Fig Whitefly Fact Sheet