If they really are ladybugs or their larvae, no harm will be done, they are completely beneficial. You should be happy to see them. If immature ladybugs, they may have hatched there and not have left in search of food yet. The larvae don't look quite like beetles though, most people describe them as resembling little alligators :) Here is a link that might be useful: lady bug larvae

Likewise, I've been having problems with aphids on my basil, parsely, oregano and thyme planted in one pot. I have washed them off with water spray, and did it with soap water solution as well. But they are just temporary. They keep coming back, and have exhausted my herbs from being overly watered due to wash off. I am looking for a good remedy that will keep aphids away for good. Here's what I found out based on my research: 1. High nitrogen feeding attracts aphids 2. Control ants infestation to deter aphids away. Ants and aphids have symbiotic relationships. Ants protects aphids from predators, as they feed on aphids' butt. Check this out too. This will help you get rid off aphids in so many ways. http://www.pan-uk.org/Projects/Local/alt~dir/aphids.htm

thanks Inga and Misty, The few that i've seen are brown and black.-i think this fellow must have blown down from Misty's on the north wind!! On a ladybird web site there are many different colours and markings in Australia but we don't see many around here. There was really only one specimen Misty,just a very ordinary picture after playing with the magnification. regards to all chas

Have you considered that the underlying cause of such an infestation is excessive use of nitrogen fertilizes of some type? Excess nitrogen attracts them in droves. Never had such an infestation such as you describe as I only use very low dose N in small amounts. S o the water hose and just stripping them off with fingers works fine for me even with hundreds of plants. The lady bugs take care of the rest. Corn is the only crop I ever have any real issues with them because of all the high N feeding it requires. But both peppers and eggplants require minimal N. I assume you know that Neem and Safer Soap can also kill ladybugs so could be reducing your natural controls? Another effective way of controlling them is taped fingers (masking tape) rubbed up and down the stems lightly. Picks up hundreds at a time. Then there is Surround, a kaolin clay dust used to control various sucking insects. Quite effective but messy to work with. Otherwise about all you can do is bring out the big gun pesticides like malathion and permethrin which I never advocate doing. Do keep in mind that the majority of the damage done by aphids is appearance type and usually tolerated by the plants unless the infestation is quite severe. You might use the search to pull up all the 100's of previous discussions about 'aphid control' on this forum for additional suggestions. Dave IPM Aphid Controls