Ficus Whitefly Destroying Privacy Hedges

What is the most abundant hedge shrub in south Florida? Most would unarguably say weeping ficus (Ficus benjamina)! What if this dominant, green-wall, King-of-Hedgery was dethroned and attacked by an insect which caused severe defoliation? Hedges become see-through and street noises are at your
front door? What if they died? That isn’t a happy scenario for privacy hedges, but it is happening already in central and west Miami.

In an October 5, 2007 report from Henry Mayer and Adrian Hunsberger (Miami-Dade County UF/IFAS Cooperative Extension Horticulture Educators) visited an area around the Miami River. They state, “The damage is severe. Mature ficus trees are defoliated. On large hedges, we saw stem die back. We saw a little new growth but that was getting nailed with ficus thrips. Also, there were whitefly immatures on the new growth.”  In an e-mail on October 9, Adrian Hunsberger observed, “This whitefly is causing complete defoliation of Ficus benjamina, including mature trees. Almost all of the ficus in a 4 mile area (if not a larger area) are dropping their leaves. This is the most devastating pest I have seen and is quickly spreading!”

The whitefly is not a fly, but a flying insect that is very similar to some scale insects. It has sucking
mouthparts and some species are known to cause sooty mold, but this species does not. Heavy feeding by the adult and the immature stages, which are immobile, flattened and translucent with red eyes, causes yellowing of the foliage and significant defoliation. The undersides of leaves are coated with a pebbly-like, whitish residue (see picture), which is the empty casings or “skins” left behind by molting immature stages as they develop into the adult stage. The body of the adult whitefly is yellow in color and the wings are white with a faint grey band towards the middle of the wing and along the inside of the front wing. There is little literature on the biology of the fig whitefly.

To view this entire article, please visit http://collier.ifas.ufl.edu

If you have a problem with Ficus Whiteflies, let A1 Super Heroes inspect and treat immediately to avoid costly damage.

Call (800) 625-3429 to speak with one of our professionals.