Clusters of small white flies have been spotted around Nottinghamshire over the past few weeks. Their appearance has left many people wondering what they are and where they have come from.
The whitefly is a relative of the aphid and have been spotted on cars and coats. People have even been swallowing them or getting them in their eyes while out on walks.
Some people have mistaken these small flies for ash, blossom or even very early snowflakes. But what are they and why are there so many?
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The Whitefly bugs, about a millimetre in length, are completely harmless to people but can be a bit of a pest for gardeners, according to Tim Sexton, manager at Attenborough Nature Reserve, speaking previously.
Back in October of 2018, the nature reserve shared information about the bugs on social media. It came after hundreds of comments were left by people wondering what they were. It appears there are just as many around in 2022.
Tim Sexton: "They are particularly fond of cabbages and other types of brassicas and they feed on the underside of leaves. Usually a pest to greenhouses and house plants, they love warm sunny conditions and it seems that the extended hot weather the UK had this summer created the perfect breeding conditions for them.
"Although they may be annoying for some people, the glut of tiny insects creates a great source of food for our beneficial invertebrates such as ladybirds, lacewings, wasps and spiders – that do a great job of controlling pests for us.
"While there seems to have been a string of negative news stories in the media about such creatures, we are always keen to point out that without them, the world would be a very different place."
According to the RHS, Whiteflies are sap sucking bugs. The adults are typically white and fly up from host plants. There are around eight species found in Britain, where some are restricted to a limited host range others are found indoors on a wide range of plants indoors.
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