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Pest Control for Your Plants: What to Know About Whiteflies

by Rossi Real Estate Services LLC 03/09/2025

Keeping plants at home means contending with the occasional pest. While some garden pests are just an annoyance, others can cause damage and even threaten the life of your plants. One common pest is the whitefly, which can infest both your outdoor garden and indoor houseplants. Here is a guide to everything you need to know about whiteflies:

What Are Whiteflies?

As their name suggests, whiteflies are white-colored insects resembling flies. They're slightly triangular in shape and can be smaller than a grain of rice. While there are many different species of whitefly, they are more prolific in warmer regions where they can survive winter weather.

Symptoms & Identification

Whiteflies are active during the daytime and scatter when disturbed, making them easier to spot than some other plant pests. However, the most common sign of a whitefly infestation is a sticky residue called honeydew the bugs produce when feeding.

In addition to the sticky honeydew, you might find whiteflies themselves on the underside of leaves, particularly along the veins. They also lay eggs underneath the leaves and tend to target tender, new growth on foliage plants.

Treatment & Prevention

While whiteflies can cause trouble in your garden, there are steps you can take to treat an infestation and prevent new ones from happening. Here are some ways you can rid your plants of whiteflies:

  • Hose them off - Washing the insects away with a stream of water is an efficient way to get rid of them quickly. If you find them on houseplants, take them outside for a bath with the hose.
  • Treat with insecticidal soap - Once you've washed the plant with water, use either store-bought insecticidal soap or a homemade mixture of dish soap and water. Spray the leaves and stems of the plant thoroughly.
  • Trap the survivors - Unfortunately, pests usually take more than one round of treatment to eradicate. To help capture and remove any remaining adult whiteflies, use sticky traps in your garden or potted plants.

These are just the basics of dealing with whiteflies. As with all plant pests, the best way to prevent them is to carefully inspect every new plant you buy. With the right knowledge and vigilance, you can keep your garden safe and healthy.

About the Author
Author

Rossi Real Estate Services LLC

Rossi Real Estate Services LLC is a boutique real estate brokerage firm that provides close personal attention to buyers and sellers in the Capital Region and surrounding areas. “Typical” is not a word that clients use to describe Rossi Real Estate's approach to home buying and selling.  Building upon years of experience, Rossi Real Estate employs creative marketing approaches, combined with a vast network, to quickly sell homes.  By creating home floor plans, professional photography, and online marketing videos, Rossi Real Estate is able to depict home layouts and professional marketing to potential buyers before stepping foot in your home; this saves the seller valuable time by attracting only those buyers who have greater interest in the home. Additionally, by employing targeted online marketing, Rossi Real Estate targets buyers searching for homes just like yours.  

Joe Rossi, the Principal Broker at Rossi Real Estate, builds upon over 12 years real estate experience in every transaction. Joe zealously advocates for his clients by combining his diverse background in law, finance, complex negotiation, and management, with compassion and exemplary communication skills creates.  He explains transaction details and guides his clients through every step of the buying and selling experience.  Furthermore, Joe listens to his clients’ wants and needs.  In a recent transaction, the buyer profusely thanked Joe, stating he was, “[T]he only one in the transaction that was capable of communicating with the sellers in a way that ensured we were able to close on our dream home”. 

Our real estate practice includes leading professionals, all of which are NYS Licensed Real Estate Sales Associates: Joseph R. Rossi, Ryan Hart, & Dustin Cogswell. Their experience includes work at a fortune 100 company, military operations, and technical recruiting.

If you're looking for a real estate broker who goes above and beyond the industry, who genuinely cares about their clients, and who will drive results, contact Rossi Real Estate Services LLC today.

The Stuff our attorneys make us include...

In accordance with Real Property Law §442-H, Rossi Real Estate Services LLC implemented a Standardized Operating Procedure governing client engagement. As such, prior to any engagement, Broker:

1. Requires a buyer to produce identification if the identity of the buyer is not readily known through a personal relationship with the broker or licensed sales person;

2. Requires an exclusive agency agreement (i.e. exclusive broker agreement) prior to engagement with any buyer;

3. Does not require pre-approval for a mortgage loan; however, a pre-qualification letter for a mortgage loan or, for cash buyers, proof of funds is required.

Although Broker may not require certain information, a seller of real estate may require this information prior to showing the property and/or as part of any purchase offer.