Tiny bugs on my basil

gregorhanslik

Hi there,

Have noticed some tiny bugs on my basil - thought it was just dust or something!

Any idea what they might be, and how to get rid of them?

I grow these indoors.

bertrand-mabel

Aphid attack. White fly or wholly aphid (difficult to see)

Remove the infested leaves and even though it is an eating leaf plant you could try wiping the leaves down with a wet cloth (not easy with basil) and or spray with a mild washing up liquid solution.

Check the underside of the leaves as well

jucati1198

It does look like aphids. I spray my with neem every two weeks. Apparently garlic spray helps too, but I haven't tried on basil. Neem kills, garlic deters them. 

Fairygirl

Just cover the soil  [your hand or a poly bag] and then rinse them in some water. 

Quite common when they're inside too, but no problem really. If it's a heavy compost they're in, it's more common too, as it stays a bit wetter, and you get the humidity too   

gregorhanslik

Thanks all! I will try a mild solution of detergent and see how I go.

Any tips on how to speed these guys up? I'm an impatient gardener!

rafe