Pesticide resistant, crop threatening whiteflies were found in central Texas this week, according to information from Texas A&M AgriLife's AgriLife Today.
It was reported this week that the whiteflies were found in Overton, near the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Officials say that the flies are similar to aphids and can cause damage to ornamental and food plants.
Adult varieties of this type of fly are winged, while young varieties of this fly lay flat against a plant's leaf and cannot be seen with the naked eye.
This is not the first time that this type of fly has appeared in the United States. The fly, originally from the Mediterranean region, first appeared in Florida in 2004. Since that time, it has been determined that this type of whitefly is resistant to pesticides commonly used to kill pests.
Those who are dealing with this type of fly should avoid using several ingredients in pesticides. Among those ingredients are: imidacloprid, pyriproxyfen, pymetrozine, kinoprene and buprofezin.
For more information, visit agrilife.org.
