Sweetpotato Whitefly: Flight Activity, Effects of Wind Velocity, and Precopulatory Pairing Activity Patterns

Abstract

Sweetpotato whitefly (SPW), Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), exhibited high levels of flight activity during daylight hours from July to September. Flight activity in a fallow field in Arizona in late August began as early as 0600 h, peaked between 0800 and 0900 h, and decreased thereafter during the day. Flight activity in cultivated cotton, lettuce and alfalfa fields also occurred throughout the day in early and late September. Few SPW were caught between 1900 and 0700 h. Peak numbers were caught on sticky traps prior to 1200 h in Arizona and Israel. Numbers of adults caught on sticky traps decreased from 0700 to 1000 h and with increasing wind velocity. Precopulatory pairing behavior occurred as early as 0700 h and increased gradually to 0900 to 0920 h, when 48% of the adults observed were paired, and decreased thereafter.