Whitefly

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/whitefly

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Family: Aleyrodidae
2. What is the vector role?Significant vectors of numerous plant viruses, including begomoviruses, criniviruses, and carlaviruses
3. What are whiteflies and why are they called "tiny flying pests"?Whiteflies are very small insects, only 1-3 mm long, that fly around plants. They look white because of their powdery wings, and they can cause big problems for gardeners.
4. How do whiteflies eat plants and why does it hurt the plants?They use special mouthparts to pierce plant stems and suck the sweet sap from the phloem. This sap‑sucking can make leaves yellow, bend, and make the plant grow less.

Hemiptera: An order of insects that includes true bugs, aphids, cicadas, and whiteflies, characterized by piercing-sucking mouthparts.
Phloem: The vascular tissue in plants that conducts sugars and other metabolic products downward from the leaves.
Vector: An organism that transmits a disease or pathogen from one host to another.