Capsicum whitefly

Adults

• Adults are small white flying insects 1–2mm long.
• Their bodies are covered with a white waxy layer.
• They are typically found feeding on the underside of leaves.

Nymphs

• First-stage nymphs are:
  • flat, oval and yellow with 8 white spots and no white filaments
  • mobile, but they usually remain on the leaf where they were laid.
• Second- to fourth-stage nymphs are:
  • attached to the underside of leaves
  • yellowish, but they gradually become covered in cottony white filaments.
• Fourth-stage nymphs are about 0.8mm long and turn black at the end of their development.

Eggs

• Eggs are found on the underside of leaves.
• When newly laid, they are oblong, tiny (0.2–0.3mm) and translucent.
• They turn yellow to greyish-brown when mature.

Plant stage and plant parts affected

• Plants can be affected at any growth stage.
• Adults prefer to feed on new shoots.
• Adults and nymphs can infest leaves, fruit, flowers and stems.
• Infested leaves show large amounts of white, waxy material or sooty mould.

Plant damage

As with other whitefly species, adults and nymphs pierce plants with their mouthparts to feed on sap, causing direct feeding damage on leaves and young shoots. Heavy infestations can cause leaf chlorosis, leaf wilting and premature defoliation.

Large amounts of white, sugary honeydew are produced by adults and nymphs, promoting the growth of sooty moulds (fungi). This reduces the plant's ability to access sunlight to photosynthesise and results in poor plant health.

Depending on the life stage, capsicum whitefly can be confused with other species of whitefly. This is more the case for adults, which look similar to adults of other whitefly species.

Common endemic whitefly species that could be confused with capsicum whitefly include:

• greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum), which is widespread in Australia
• spiralling whitefly (Aleurodicus dispersus), which has limited distribution in Queensland
• coconut whitefly (Aleuroctarthrus destructor), which is present in tropical and subtropical areas of Australia
• silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci), which is widespread in Australia.

Some aphids and mealybugs also produce large quantities of honeydew when feeding, and this may resemble the cottony and waxy filaments produced by capsicum whitefly.

Capsicum whitefly is the only whitefly known to heavily infest the ornamental plants geisha girl and golden dewdrop.

• Widely distributed in tropical areas throughout the world, including:
  • Central and South America
  • the Caribbean
  • the United States of America (California, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana and Texas)
  • Africa (Mozambique, Nigeria and Reunion)
  • Oceania (Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam and Micronesia)
  • India.
• Has been observed in the Solomon Islands and on the south coast of Papua New Guinea.
• Detected on Boigu Island, Torres Strait, Queensland.

Capsicum whitefly is polyphagous (feeding on a wide range of plants) and infests species from at least 33 plant families.

Solanaceous and Convolvulaceous plants are preferred hosts. Crops most affected include:

• avocado
• capsicum
• celery
• chilli
• eggplant
• rose
• sweetpotato
• tomato
• tobacco.

Ornamental plant species such as geisha girl (Duranta repens) and golden dewdrop (Duranta erecta) can also be infested.

• Female adults lay eggs on the underside of young leaves of host plants in circular masses.
• After hatching, the first-stage nymphs usually stay on the same leaf and settle in one place to feed.
• Nymphs stop feeding at the end of the fourth stage, just before they emerge as adults.
• Development from egg to adult is about 29 days, but it can vary depending on the environmental conditions.
• Overseas, adults are reported to be most prevalent in late spring to early summer. However, in warm climates such as Queensland, all life stages can be present all year.
• Numbers decline in cooler months.

Capsicum whitefly is a pest of a wide range of host plants and can have significant impacts.

• The pest can lead to economic loss in Queensland's horticulture industry (including production of fruits, nuts, vegetables and ornamental plants), which is estimated to be worth at least $4 billion annually. This is because the pest can:
  • cause severe damage to crops, reducing yields
  • disrupt access to domestic and international markets.
• Infestations also affect backyard gardeners through:
  • reduced fruit and vegetable harvests
  • damaged ornamental plants.

Capsicum whitefly is most easily spread by people moving infested plant material such as cut flowers, whole plants, and fruit and vegetables.

Adults can fly only short distances, however adults and nymphs can be blown medium to long distances by the wind.

Check common host plants (especially geisha girl, golden dewdrop and Solanaceae crops) for:

• small white winged adults at rest on host plant leaves or fluttering around when disturbed
• eggs and nymphs (especially dark-coloured fourth-stage nymphs covered by white wax) on the underside of leaves
• large amounts of white waxy material or sooty mould on leaves, especially the underside.

Report suspected capsicum whitefly using one of these methods:

• report online
• call Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23
• call the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881.

Use these resources to help protect your farm from plant pests and diseases:

• Protect your farm
• Farm biosecurity

Two biosecurity zones in the Torres Strait have been established by the Australian Government under the Australian Biosecurity Act 2015:

• Torres Strait Protected Zone
• Torres Strait Permanent Biosecurity Monitoring Zone.

These zones limit the spread of capsicum whitefly within the region and to the Australian mainland.

They restrict the movement of:

• fresh fruits and vegetables
• soil
• live plants, including cuttings
• seedlings
• plant products.

To transport any of these from any Torres Strait Island to mainland Australia, you need a permit from the Australian Government's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Find out more about moving goods to, from and within the Torres Strait.

If you move vehicles, machinery or other goods between biosecurity zones or to mainland Australia, they will be inspected. This ensures pests and pest carriers are not moved from the zone.

If you think you have found capsicum whitefly, you must take all reasonable and practical steps under your control to minimise any further spread. This is called your general biosecurity obligation (GBO) under the Queensland Biosecurity Act 2014.