Hi, I fought orchid pests indoors for a long time and the most effective seemed to be a combination of neem oil/soap in water judiciously sprayed on affected plants and the putting of the plants outdoors in summer to let the spiders and other insect predators do their thing. I also found that repotting every year without fail kept pests from going from year to year in the potting mix. Using a fan in the area also helped with thrips and other things like that so long as I could keep relative humidity high enough, over 50 p.c. Outdoors, nothing works better IMO than encouraging predator insects. From wasps to lady bugs to praying mantisses and snakes, you can enlist an army of helpers by providing 1) diverse plantings of nectar producing flowers, 2) host plants known to attract beneficial insects, and 3) a source of water and shelter for frogs and other critters to use. Japanese beetles were really bad here because of an old tree that good denuded each year. It was some type of dark leaf cherry tree. Moles would come after the grubs and make a huge mess. Nothing worked, not even milky spore. So I cut down the tree and replaced with a Prunus mume and voila, problem solved. Sometimes you have to observe and replace things rather than fight momma nature IMHO. After 10 years I am happy to report I use no chemicals or pest controls of any kind. I live with a little black spot and rust but that's it. Keeping planting well spaced and diverse, with good airflow helps a lot. But probably avoiding problem prone cultivars is the most important thing which means I don't use tea roses at all. YMMV but I think using pest control gets to be too much of a chore to keep up and for every measure you come up with the bugs come with a counter measure. RJ

That's a nice article, thanks for posting Westelle

A belated thanks for the reply. You know the very topic of "insecticides" just scares the you know what out of me where newborn development and the like are concerned. It's just not a good combo, all the baby books clearly state no way no how just say no. So I'm nervous about using any chemicals whatsoever around our baby, even though this Gnatrol sounds more like a "biological solution" versus a traditional insecticide or pesticide. I've read the label and warnings, not entirely convinced of its non-toxic status but it is what it is. I'll probably call the company directly as well later today, but I did order a quart. The plants around the house are no where near where the baby is or could wind up, so it's really up to me, how I use it, how I make sure to clean up everything including myself after the fact, etc. Thanks again, if you want to weigh in on the non-toxic topic here just to calm my nerves, I would be most appreciative :)

That looks to be more of a disease organism rather than the signs of insect damage. Basil is particularly prone to fungal issues so best to avoid crowding the plants (provide good air circulation) and avoid getting water on foliage. And Google "basil downy mildew" to see if that might be the problem and the suggested controls. As a first step, I'd suggest just pinching off any affected foliage. If that doesn't halt the problem you could also try the Neem oil - it has strong fungicidal properties. And is considered a safe, organic product. Just rinse thoroughly any produce that has been treated before eating. I'm not sure I'd be much concerned about the leaf miners. The damage they do is just cosmetic. It doesn't harm the tomato plants so no need really to treat.