Sounds like a white fly infestation. Are they pure white, and do they fly up from inside the plant's foliage? You should be able to observe this behavior by just brushing your hand against the foliage.

If white fly, they hang out under the leaves.

Yes, they are all over under the leaves and any disturbance of the branches sends them flying. Do you know how to get rid of them??

Direct hits of insecticidal soap work. Repeat as the label directs.

Also, if you can find it, use sand as a mulch; about 1" deep in a 12" diameter circle around the plant stems. The white flies seem to like having a moist base to their area and don't like the fast-draining sand. Go to the art store and get a sheet of neon-yellow poster board. Cut into hand-sized pieces and poke a hole in one end. Cover the posterboard with tanglefoot; thread a plastic tie or string through the hole and hang off branches, especially in the back where it's hard to spray the soapy water. Replace weekly or as the tanglefoot gets covered with bugs, for about 6 weeks, to catch any new generations of the white fly.

Thank you, but....what's tanglefoot??:)

Tanglefoot is a proprietary substance which should be available in your local garden center and hardware store; a little can goes a long way. Designed originally to keep birds off eaves and windowsills, it is sticky without actually being a glue [birds can easily get loose from it, but hate the sticky feel]. Gardeners discovered that when spread over neon-yellow or white boards, many sorts of undesirable bugs would choose to fly to it and become permanently stuck; when spread over red balls and hung in fruit trees it is a viable defense against several types of insects which would otherwise damage the fruit. In your case, it is a good back-up to soapy spray since it will attract those whiteflies which escaped, or arrive after the soapy spray.

Just a wee warning about the use of sticky cards in some parts of the country. If you live in an area where lizards or anoles hang out in the garden, they can get caught on the tanglefoot or sticky cards, too.

Thank you so much!! What a good idea:)

Catching insects on the sticky cards a good idea....catching lizards and anole NOT a good idea. (Just wanted to be clear about that, lol)