Bug FAQCrown Whitefly
Aleuroplatus coronata · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Aleyrodidae
Source: Wikipedia
Adult crown whiteflies are tiny pale-yellow insects about 1 mm long with four waxy-covered white wings. They feed on sap, especially from coast live oak, and heavy infestations may make leaves drop. In California they are found on oak and chestnut trees and are kept in check by lady beetles and parasitic wasps.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The adult has four white wings that look dusty and a crown of waxy filaments around the puparium.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults are about 1 mm long.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
Heavy infestations can cause leaves to fall, but the insect does not significantly harm the trees.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
Delphastus lady beetles and several Aphelinidae wasps naturally prey on or parasitize the whitefly.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is established in California on oak and chestnut trees.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It sucks sap from its host plants, preferring coast live oak.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Females lay cigar-shaped eggs that hatch into small, translucent nymphs. Nymphs lose their legs in the second stage, stick to the leaf underside, and stay still until they become pupae.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It originates from the southern United States and Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I control crown whiteflies?
Encourage natural predators like the Delphastus lady beetle and parasitic wasps such as Encarsia species.
Source: Wikipedia
What trees are affected by crown whiteflies?
They are found on oak and chestnut trees, especially coast live oak.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Aleyrodidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleuroplatus_coronata
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.