Bug FAQWhitefly Destroyer
Delphastus pusillus · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Coccinellidae
Also called: Ladybird beetle, Whitefly Predator
Adult Whitefly Destroyers are tiny shiny black beetles about 1⁄16 inch long, but newly emerged ones look pale-brown to almost white before turning black with a brown head. Both adults and larvae hunt all stages of whitefly, especially eggs and nymphs, piercing them and sucking out their contents. Females live roughly two months and lay three to four eggs each day, while males live about one and a half months; development from egg to adult takes about three weeks at 80 to 85 °F.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Mature beetles become black with a brown head.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure about 1⁄16 inch in length.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
They prey on all life stages of whitefly, preferring eggs and nymphs. Adults and larvae pierce whiteflies with their mouthparts and alternately suck and regurgitate the internal contents to digest them.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Female beetles live about two months and lay three to four eggs per day. Male beetles live about one and a half months. Development from egg to adult takes roughly three weeks at temperatures of 80 to 85 °F.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 20 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Ohio, Indiana, Kansas, California, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, South Carolina.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do Whitefly Destroyer beetles eat?
Both adults and larvae feed on whitefly eggs, nymphs and other stages, using their mouthparts to pierce and suck out the insects.
Source: Wikipedia
How long does it take for a Whitefly Destroyer to develop?
At 80 to 85 °F, the beetle develops from egg to adult in about three weeks.
Source: Wikipedia
How long do adult Whitefly Destroyers live?
Females live about two months and males about one and a half months.
Source: Wikipedia
What do newly emerged Whitefly Destroyers look like?
New adults are pale-brown to almost white before they turn black with a brown head as they mature.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Coccinellidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphastus_pusillus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-28 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-28.