Your basil looks pretty bushy, so I'd say it's getting enough light, but it is very yellow, which indicates not enough nitrogen. You need to give those plants some fertilizer. Composted manure does not provide sufficient nitrogen for most crops. Also, the nitrogen that is in composted manure is not immediately available to plants. It is broken down by microorganisms into a form usable by plants, but it takes a while. I don't know for sure about Cow Wow, but it looks like it is just liquid manure. Manure is great for soil structures and provides organics, but it is not a complete fertilizer.

Neem oil generally stops or slows down anything that feeds on plants. It is not an insecticide with any knock down power, it takes days for the insects to actually die, but they quickly stop feeding. You can read about Neem Oil here. You may find neem oil products at your local nursery and sometimes at health food stores, otherwise you can purchase it online here and many other places.

schoolhouse: I am a big reggae fan, but also love Ska almost as much. =) Check out Augustus Pablo if you have not already. He is the King of Melodica! He is one of my top favorites; probably someone you'd like also if you love Ska. Peace - Steve ksrogers: My Basil is sweet basil. The plant you see above is about 18-20 inches tall & has already been harvested 3 times. I have plans (tomatoes & pickling cucumbers) for the large pots I have left & not too much of a need for Basil, so whatever I get off this plant will be well enough. =) If its growth starts to sunt a bit & fade off, then i'll just probably harvest all the remaining good leaves, leave the stems for a bit to see if they grow more & if not, then chop them up for some food to sprinkle on my other plants. I've heard how large Basil gets, so I expect it to outgrow the pot within the next 2 or 3 weeks.

Pick the beetles off. You can crush them or knock them into a jar of 10% vinegar. When you disturb the leaf the beetle will naturally roll off, trying to fall to the ground to get away.