Basil plant problem

[catcolethom]

My basil plant has little white cocoon-looking things on it that when I touch them are wet and gooey. I can't see any pests.
The plant seems to be growing well, but I hesitate to eat it until I figure out what this is.

 

[Chuck]

My basil plant has little white cocoon-looking things on it that when I touch them are wet and gooey. I can't see any pests.
The plant seems to be growing well, but I hesitate to eat it until I figure out what this is.

We need a close picture. Those little white cacoon-lookings might be little white cacoons but that is extremely doubtful.

 

[catcolethom]

I don't think they are actually cocoons - they just have a white, thready look to them. I have added pictures - hopefully you can see them okay. If not, I will try sending better pix. (I tried hosing them off but they were still there the next day.)

 

[Chuck]

The pics are out of focus but it looks like the dried spittle of the Spittle Bug. Just wash it off it is harmless

 

[Ruderunner]

Seems like we're seeing more questions about this than we have in the last few years.

Is there an infestation of spittle bugs this year?

I've seen something like this on a lettuce plant last week but it might have been dog slobber.

 

[Chuck]

Seems like we're seeing more questions about this than we have in the last few years.

Is there an infestation of spittle bugs this year?

I've seen something like this on a lettuce plant last week but it might have been dog slobber.

There was something on this forum a few days ago about Spittle Bugs in the UK and I think Europe in general, saying that the Spittle Bugs may be harmful. I grew up with Spittle Bugs and their spit and our bugs are not harmful

 

[pepper]

There was something on this forum a few days ago about Spittle Bugs in the UK and I think Europe in general, saying that the Spittle Bugs may be harmful. I grew up with Spittle Bugs and their spit and our bugs are not harmful

That was me, I've been reading several articles about it. I've grown up around them too, use to flick them at each other when we were kids. There does seem to be a lot more this year though. There probably isn't a single plant on my property now that doesn't have them on it, they are even on some of my young apple trees.

 

[Chuck]

That was me, I've been reading several articles about it. I've grown up around them too, use to flick them at each other when we were kids. There does seem to be a lot more this year though. There probably isn't a single plant on my property now that doesn't have them on it, they are even on some of my young apple trees.
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I don't know, I think it must be a more northern phenomenon. If anything, here in Texas there is, if anything, less of a presence of these bugs than in previous years. I haven't seen any sign of them but then I haven't been really looking either.

 

[pepper]

I don't know, I think it must be a more northern phenomenon. If anything, here in Texas there is, if anything, less of a presence of these bugs than in previous years. I haven't seen any sign of them but then I haven't been really looking either.

It probably is. They seem to prefer damp places and the way the weather has been here lately it has been randomly spitting rain every couple days, just enough to get the plants damp. It's probably ideal for them so they are thriving more then normal. They don't hurt anything here though.