From the Sierra Vista Herald:

University of Arizona researchers are studying the bacterium that transforms a cotton pest into a super-pest. What they discover could lead to an environmentally friendly way to control whiteflies in southern Arizona.

They are the number one pest in Arizona because they can easily move among cotton plants, melons and vegetables, said Dr. Peter Ellsworth, a UA entomology specialist/professor and director of the Arizona Pest Management Center in the city of Maricopa.

“Whiteflies can shut down a cotton mill, which could lose up to $1 million a day,” Ellsworth said. “Arizona has not had a mill shut since 1995, but it still does occur in other parts of the world.”

Go to svherald.com for Jacelle Ramon-Saubera's complete article.