Patterns in Diel Flight Activity of Bemisia tabaci (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) in Cropping Systems in Southern California

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Abstract
Patterns of daily flight of the sweet potato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), were investigated in three cropping systems (cotton, watermelon, and cantaloupe) in California's Imperial Valley. Flying adults were monitored either by yellow sticky traps or by aerial trapping with nets on a one- or two-hour basis. The temperature and, on some occasions, relative humidity were recorded at the same time. The number of whiteflies caught during daylight hours varied exponentially with temperature, but did not vary significantly with relative humidity. Few whiteflies were caught at night; there was no relationship between numbers caught at night and temperature or relative humidity. No notable differences in diel flight patterns were found among the different crops.