skip to main content

Help fighting with Basil bug - with photos

18 years ago

Hi everyone,

I'm fighting with basil bug now by going out everymorning to see if there is any bug eating my basil. I'm wondering if there is a better way to elimate the problem completely, or have get it under control. These bugs look like ladybug, but is yellow and not round. There are the photos of the bugs:

There are the kind of damage it does, it's very grose to eat the leave that's chewed/poop by the bug:

Also, my basil started to flower, and I have been pinching them off. The yield is getting less and less not just because the bug ate it, but also because the left is getting smaller and smaller. When my basil first grow last months, the leaves are big and flat, now the leaves are small and kind of wrinkle. Is it time to grow from seed ago so I will have more in October?

Thanks!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

Heathen1
18 years ago
I love this site... http://whatsthatbug.com/ but I can't find that particular one...
0
Heathen1
18 years ago
I think it's the spotted cucumber beetle

Here is a link that might be useful: spotted cucumber beetle
0
Related Discussions
Help! Bugs on Basil
Q
Comments (11)
I think I know what you've got there, I think it's what I've got on my basil too. But I couldn't get a good zoom in on the picture. Do they have an alligator look? Like this: http://www.celticbug.com/Real/Bugs3.html They can also be more reddish in color. If so you're good; leave them be; and thank good you were blessed with these little bugs. If they don't look alligatorish. I'm sorry, you've got aphids. I'm dealing with them too. And they've been having a field day with my basil. If your basil is just ornamental seven-dust the hell out of the seedlings. If you plan on using the basil in food though you can try on a couple of other solutions. Plant mint, rosemary, marigolds or sage near the basil supposedly aphids don't like the aroma of these herbs this worked some what for two years ago. But last year when the aphids came back again, I tried lady bugs. They worked really well but the problem with them is that they fly away after they've eaten the adult and larvae aphids and when they're gone the aphids eggs hatch and you've got aphids again. My gardening store recommended I try green lacewings which aren't as migratory as ladybugs so they'll stay with the basil. You have to mail order them so the lace wing should arrive in the next day or so; so I'll let you know how they work. Also if your basil is in a pot move it as far away from any roses as possible, since aphids love roses too.
...See More
Basil Problems..Please Help
Q
Comments (5)
You might want to check under the leaves for tiny red mites and maybe even a bit of web. The leaves don't look that bad in that picture, and I can't think of anything else. If that's what it is, spray them off every couple of days with a water spray and remove all webbing. You can get fancy by making a garlic spray (linked below) which is probably a good idea for container gardening since you don't really need pollinators. Mites can be frustrating to say the least. I love growing basil, though it's a bit too cold up here for another month, I treat them like tomatoes. If you clip the top of a plant, it branches off to make more leaves. If you let one go to seed, you'll have enough seeds for several years. Basil is very easy to start from seed and you can never have enough. Here is a link that might be useful: garlic spray
...See More
black dots on basil? (photos)
Q
Comments (4)
I'm no bugologist, but it's definitely a bug of some sort! (And a lot of bugs you get are different from the bugs I get in my part of the world.) A spray with Garlic Spray should fix it - it's good for multitudes of bugs. For a more accurate ID of the bug, take a few affected leaves to a nursery and get the experts there to point you in the right direction. My guess is that the plant is indoors. Indoor plants are especially prone to bugs because there are few predator bugs to get rid of them. A spell outside might help, but it does look like a plague of them to me.
...See More
Big Bites in my Basil - Help!
Q
Comments (7)
First you need to find and identify what is making the big bites :-) Look for slugs or snails and check under the leaves for caterpillars and cutworms. They are often green themselves so sometimes hard to see. You can bait for the slugs/snails with a safe, environmentally friendly product (Sluggo) and caterpillars and cutworms can be picked off. It is also very possible that what was there causing the holes has now moved on. In which case, you need to do nothing.
...See More
Related Professionals
Concord Landscape Contractors · Bloomington Landscape Contractors · Cedar Hill Landscape Contractors · Davidson Landscape Contractors · Englewood Landscape Contractors · Fort Wayne Landscape Contractors · Mahwah Landscape Contractors · Mount Sinai Landscape Contractors · Soddy Daisy Landscape Contractors · Tehachapi Landscape Contractors · Tigard Landscape Contractors · Palos Heights Landscape Contractors · Houston Roofing & Gutters · Golden Valley Roofing & Gutters · Kinnelon Roofing & Gutters
Amino_X
18 years ago
Uh oh! I've found a couple of these on my cucumbers and thought they were ladybugs!!!

WOW! Thanks for the info! I'll start squashing them.

Best Wishes
Amino-X
0
mosesong
Original Author
18 years ago
Bad news..... I believe these are spotted cucumber bettles. I went to the local gardening center and ask for suggestion to fix the problem since I couldn't find anything online. I was told they have some chemical that will kill the thing including the eggs. They asked me how serious is my problem, I told them it's on my basil. I was recommended not to use their solution. They're curious about it since these "cucumber bugs" only appear in big plant like squash melon type of crops. I told him it's okay and I will start from basil seeds. For now I will have to harvest all the basil leaves I have left, destroy the plant, and start the seeding. I'm not sure what to do next year as I was told they lay egg and hide themself in ground then come back....
0
User
18 years ago
Mosesong, just cut the damaged leaves off no need to destroy plant. With 2 1/2 months left of growning season unless your plants only send up seed stalks you should get at least one more harvest of leaves. The spotted cucumber bettles are not the ones that lay eggs in the stalk of vines. Spotted cucumber bettles lay eggs on the surface of plants. Yes they could come back next year but removing the surface trash will help combat the problem. Perhaps someone could suggest something you could try early next spring to lessen the problem.
0
Amino_X
18 years ago
Why not tent the plants?

Get yourself some really light "Summerweight" garden fabric that allows sunlight to penetrate and make a large, loose tent secured at the bottom. That should keep the little buggers at bay. :)

Best Wishes
Amino-X
0
mosesong
Original Author
18 years ago
Maifler, thanks for the headsup. The basil start to flower like crazy so I thought start seeding again is better off trying to pinch the flower and deal with the bug.

Amino, I think I will put up a fabric next year when I have my raise bed herb planters. Right now everything is in individual pot. One thing for sure is I learn about herb planting every year. Last year I grow herb in my apartment, now I just move into a house so things have change and I'm learning to cope with it. Next year I hope I will have better luck growing more exotic herbs/fruit.
0

Related Stories

HEALTHY HOME What You Need to Know About Dust and How to Fight It

By Mitchell Parker

Breathe easier with these 10 tips for busting mites, dander and other microscopic undesirables

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Porch Life: Banish the Bugs

By Becky Harris

Don't let insects be the bane of your sweet tea and swing time. These screening and product ideas will help keep bugs at bay on the porch

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Bid Bad Garden Bugs Goodbye and Usher In the Good

By Matt Kilburn

Give ants their marching orders and send mosquitoes moseying, while creating a garden that draws pollinators and helpful eaters

ORGANIZING Do It for the Kids! A Few Routines Help a Home Run More Smoothly

By Alison Hodgson

Not a Naturally Organized person? These tips can help you tackle the onslaught of papers, meals, laundry — and even help you find your keys

UNIVERSAL DESIGN My Houzz: Universal Design Helps an 8-Year-Old Feel at Home

By Becki Peckham

An innovative sensory room, wide doors and hallways, and other thoughtful design moves make this Canadian home work for the whole family

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Be a Citizen Scientist to Help Wildlife, Learn and Have Fun Too

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Track butterflies, study birds, capture stars ... when you aid monitoring efforts, you’re lending Mother Nature a hand

LIFE We Can Work It Out: Living (and Cleaning) Together

By Alison Hodgson

Run a household without fussing and fighting with these ideas for how to work together on household chores

MOST POPULAR 10 Strategies for Keeping Surfaces Clutter-Free

By Laura Gaskill

The universe wants your coffee table to become a clutter magnet — but you can fight back

PETS Houzz Call: Send in the Design Cats

By Sheila Schmitz

Post your best photo of your cat at home, in the garden or with you in your studio. It could be published in a featured ideabook

THE HARDWORKING HOME 8 Laundry Room Ideas to Watch For This Year

By Mitchell Parker

The Hardworking Home: A look at the most popular laundry photos in 2014 hints that dog beds, drying racks and stackable units will be key

Sponsored

More Discussions

Mi spearmint is sick? What are these spots

2

Can anybody ID this plant?

1

Salvia elegans -- pineapple sage

6

Secret Santa Seed Swap 2024

0

Aphids on catnip?

5