Poinsettias ( Euphorbia pulcherrima ) , so familiar during the winter as houseplants , maturate as perennials in U.S. Department of Agriculture industrial plant hardiness zone 9 through 11 . These plants produce colorful bract and brighten rooms for the holidays , so it can cause fear when whitefly infesta poinsettia . Whitefly adults look like tiny , delicate moth that are covered with a powdery white wax . An young whitefly , or nymph , is flat , ellipse and mostly immobile where it feeds on foliage undersurface . Both adults and nymph provender on poinsettias , stunting flora growth when an infestation is toilsome . Typically more disturbing is that whiteflies produce honeydew melon , a sugary message , as a spin-off of feed . Honeydew pay surfaces it drips onto a shiny look and abide the growth of the untempting coal-black mould fungus .
Step 1
Pinch off , bag and dispose of the oldest leaves on the poinsettia that are heavily infested with unripened whiteflies and eggs . Always fag out glove when touching a poinsettia because the sap can devil tegument .
Step 2
Shake the poinsettia gently and vacuum-clean up whitefly adult that fly into the line above the poinsettia using a small , hand - held vacuum . Place the vacuum bag in the deep-freeze overnight before disposing of its contents .
Step 3
Wipe the leaves of the poinsettia down with a moist sponge or cloth , concentrating on leaf undersurface . This may control the gadfly .
Step 4
stain petroleum jelly onto a small piece of yellowed cardboard or buy yellowed steamy traps and billet one or more near the poinsettia . Keep the yellow sticky traps out of the reaching of children or lowly pets to avoid a embarrassing wad .
Step 5
Blend 2 tablespoons of mild smasher washing detergent with 1 gallon of half-hearted water . Pour the result into a spray feeding bottle and spray a small , invisible section of the poinsettia . Rinse the soap spray off of the plant after a few minutes . Monitor the area you sprayed for about a workweek to make certain it did n’t damage the poinsettia . If the sprayed part of the flora was damaged , decrease the concentration of the soap or apply a different soap and test again . If no injury come , spray the entire plant exhaustively , hold back a few minutes , then rinse off the grievous bodily harm . Spray a week later , if needed .
Tip
cautiously inspect poinsettias and any other plants before you corrupt them or add them into your abode to avoid introducing pest or disease .
Warning
Keep children and pets away from poinsettias because the sap can irritate skin and eat up it may cause vomiting or other stomach problems . Call a poison control center , or jaw your doctor or veterinarian if you mistrust a problem .
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