Tobacco whitefly. Coloured Scanning Electron Micrograph (SEM) of a newly hatched adult tobacco whitefly Bemisia tabaci. The insect's compound eyes (red) and unfurled wings (white) are seen. The pupal case from which it has emerged is visible on the surface of a green leaf. The adult stage is a voracious feeder on plant sap, laying eggs which metamorphose to larval & pupal stages. Tobacco whitefly is a plant pest which has spread around the world due to the export of ornamental plants. It attacks ornamental and crop plants, causing horticultural and agricultural damage on a wide scale. It is the subject of pest control.