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How to identify it
- Adults are about 1 mm long, smaller than other whiteflies, and a pair of grayish-brown bands on the forewings forms an 'X'.[1]
- Young nymphs wear a clear band of wax with a row of short wax filaments, like a skirt around the body.[1]
- Older nymphs give off fluffy wax and long, thin, rod-like filaments that look like strands of fiberglass.[1]
- Fourth-stage nymphs are translucent yellow and sit in the middle of a round nest of white wax; adults are also found inside the nests.[1]
Look-alikes
| Look-alike | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Other nesting whiteflies (Paraleyrodes species, such as P. minei) | Paraleyrodes species are hard to tell apart in the field; a reliable identification needs a slide-mounted specimen. The nesting whitefly P. minei is another invasive species that has spread on coconut alongside Bondar's nesting whitefly.[1][3] |
Where it lives
It has been found in Belize, Brazil, Honduras, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Taiwan, Madeira and Indian Ocean islands including Mauritius, Reunion and the Comoros, and in Florida since 2011. Global trade has sped its spread, and it invaded coconut-growing areas in India between 2016 and 2019.[1][3][4]
Biology and life cycle
Little has been published on its life cycle. Like other whiteflies, females lay eggs on the host, the crawlers that hatch find a feeding site and settle, the nymphs pass through four stages, and winged adults emerge from the last nymphal skin.[1]
Recorded hosts include ficus, hibiscus, sugar apple, coconut, guava, citrus and Surinam cherry.[1]
Damage and signs
- The whiteflies excrete large amounts of honeydew, and sooty mold grows on both the upper and lower leaf surfaces, cutting photosynthesis and spoiling the look of hedges and other ornamentals.[1]
- Dense infestations can cause early leaf drop and weaker plants, and untreated infestations may eventually kill the plant.[1]
Health risk
The sources treat it only as a plant pest; none mentions bites or other risk to people or pets.[1]
Control
Biological control
When UF's guide was written in 2018 no predators or parasitoids had been documented for this species, though lady beetles, lacewings and aphelinid wasps attack other Paraleyrodes. Since then, feeding tests have shown that a small lady beetle, Delphastus pallidus, probably native to the United States, eats it, and landscape surveys in South Florida found that beetle increasing alongside several whitefly species.[1][2]
When to call a professional
Because nesting whiteflies are hard to identify in the field, contact your local extension office for help identifying and managing them; UF's general guide to managing whiteflies on landscape ornamentals (ENY-317) covers treatment options.[1]
Common questions
- What are the white polka dots on the black leaves of my ficus hedge?
- Round white wax nests standing out against black sooty mold are the typical sign of a heavy Bondar's nesting whitefly infestation.[1]
- Will Bondar's nesting whitefly kill my hedge?
- Dense infestations can make leaves drop early and weaken plants, and UF warns that untreated infestations may eventually kill the plant.[1]
- Does anything eat Bondar's nesting whitefly?
- UF's 2018 guide listed no documented predators or parasitoids, but later feeding tests showed that the lady beetle Delphastus pallidus eats it along with at least six other whitefly species.[1][2]
Sources
- University of Florida IFAS Extension (EDIS), “Pest Identification Guide: Bondar's Nesting Whitefly, Paraleyrodes bondari (ENY-994, 2018).” journals.flvc.org/edis/article/view/105517 (accessed 2026-11-09)
- MDPI (Insects), “Whitefly species preferences of the predatory ladybird beetle, Delphastus pallidus LeConte (Ahmed et al. 2026, Insects 17: 90; PubMed abstract).” doi.org/10.3390/insects17010090 (accessed 2026-11-09)
- Springer (International Journal of Biometeorology), “Ecological niche overlap of invasive whiteflies in coconut (Selvaraj et al. 2026, International Journal of Biometeorology; PubMed abstract).” doi.org/10.1007/s00484-026-03292-4 (accessed 2026-11-09)
- Royal Society of Chemistry (Analytical Methods), “Rapid colourimetric detection and molecular surveillance of the invasive Bondar's nesting whitefly (Brahma et al. 2026, Analytical Methods; PubMed abstract).” doi.org/10.1039/d6ay01466f (accessed 2026-11-09)
- iNaturalist, “Paraleyrodes bondari taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/917321 (accessed 2026-11-09)