Basil is a flavorful addition to dishes, but sometimes it is damaged by garden pests.
Basil is a flavorful herb, used in salads, tomato sauce and pesto sauce. It is an easy-to-grow, sun-loving annual herb. Although basil is relatively pest-resistant, a number of bugs or insects may bother basil. Japanese beetles, aphids, spider mites and whiteflies may attack basil. Other garden pests, such as slugs, can cause similar damage. If you identify the pest that is damaging your basil, you can then apply the appropriate method to protect your basil. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Identify the insect pest on your basil. You can determine what pest is munching on your basil by looking for bugs or insects on the basil or by examining the damage done to the basil. You may need a magnifying glass to identify spider mites, whiteflies and aphids.
2. Examine the leaves of the basil. Are the leaves skeletonized with a lacy appearance, leaving only the veins intact? The Japanese beetle does this type of damage. Commercial growers of basil in New Jersey find that the Japanese beetles are the most damaging pest to basil. Japanese beetles are shiny, greenish coppery beetles, about 1/2 inch long. Handpick Japanese beetles, dropping them into a container of soapy water. Alternatively, use fabric row covers over the basil to prevent Japanese beetles from getting to the basil. Practice grub control in your lawn and garden, because Japanese beetles develop from the white C-shaped grubs in the soil.
3. Examine the leaves, buds, and shoots for distortions. Are leaves dropping to the ground? This is probably caused by aphids, spider mites or whiteflies. All these small insects suck plant juices from the leaves. Sometimes aphids and whiteflies also secrete a sweet honeydew, which drops to the leaves below. Whiteflies and spider mites usually suck sap from the underside of leaves. Another telltale sign of spider mites are leaves speckled with yellow. Some spider mite species also produce webbing. Spider mites are tiny, only up to about 1/50 of an inch; whiteflies measure up to 1/12 of an inch; and aphids range between 1/16 to 3/8 of an inch. A strong spray of water from a hose will dislodge these insects from your basil. Alternatively or in addition, use an insecticidal soap spray.
4. Look closely at the leaf damage on your basil. Slugs leave raggedly holes and slime trails on plants. They love to feed on new tender shoots. You probably will not see slugs during the day, because they feed at night and hide under garden debris during the day. Surround your basil plants with copper wire, wood ashes or diatomaceous earth to protect them from slugs.
Tags: your basil, Japanese beetles, spider mites, mites whiteflies, spider mites whiteflies, about inch, aphids spider