[4] It had spread to Jamaica by 1922,[4] and ultimately reached various Pacific Islands (Guam in 1951; Oahu in 1974)[4] as well as multiple continents including Europe (in Italy and Greece), Africa, Australia, and the Americas.

Infested plants suffer indirect damage[8] from the flies' excretion of honeydew on their leaf surfaces, which promotes the development of sooty mold on the leaves, branches, and fruit.

parasitoid wasp, E. smithi, the introduction of which has been successfully employed as a form of biological pest control in response to A. spiniferus outbreaks.

Colour preference is another method researchers use to monitor population dynamics, or for this instance, to control insect numbers in crop protection.

[13][14] Whiteflies have been shown to prefer the colour yellow, therefore methods using this information have been used to create a sticky trap that can aid in controlling these outbreaks.

[citation needed] Overall, chemical controls have been attempted in response to the outbreaks such as spraying pesticides, which can be considered effective but not without detriment.