My Basil was being bugged

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As it turns out, my mesh cover keeps out most of the insects, however there is one kind of insect that evidently was able to get through… the fruit fly or what we call a fruit fly.
I didn’t know that they were in the basil. Each evening when I’d bring the basil inside and set it on the window sill, unbeknownst to us, fruit flies would get out and fly around the house. We’d chase them down and kill them and wonder where they heck they came from. It wasn’t until I saw one inside the mesh of the basil container that I figured out where the little buggers was coming from and it all made sense. I figure they must’ve got on the soil and laid eggs. Yuck!
Since I didn’t want to toss my basil, I decided to use a little natural control on them.
I got out my bag of ‘Diamaceous Earth – Food Grade’ also called ‘DE’ and covered the soil heavily. As long as it stays dry, it’s effective against insects.
I’ve always watered the basil from the bottom tray. It helps keep the roots deeper in the soil. So, I’m good there.So far so good on keeping the fruit flies controlled.

‘Diamaceous Earth – Food Grade’ is a natural pest control. The way DE works is it scratches the spiders/insects/bugs exoskeleton and causes them to dehydrate and die.

If you plan to try ‘Diamaceous Earth’, make sure you use ‘Food Grade’.  And also, do the research and read all you can about it. There’s safety measures that need to be followed if it’s used on a larger scale than I have used it here in my basil container.

I hope you all have a pest-free rest of the week!

 

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12 thoughts on “My Basil was being bugged”

  2. I have a great big bag of DE that I periodically sprinkle all around the perimeter of every room in the house to help keep the creepy crawlies at bay. I love it since it does help immensely with that task, but it is safe around the dogs. Amazing stuff.

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    • Hi CW
      The creepy-crawlies don’t live too long after they come in contact with it. Being able to use it around pets is a huge plus. I agree, it’s amazing stuff. 🙂

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  3. Thanks for the tip on Diamaceous Earth. I have been staying away from chemicals so am glad to know about this. Good luck with your basil. ~Also, I hope the corner plant is an eight o’clock. How beautiful they are! Hopefully, you have outdoor seating nearby so you can enjoy it late in the evening. Videoing it would be so fun; just like you did the butterflies!

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    • Thanks so much Mary
      I discovered DE years ago when I encountered a brown recluse in my garden and a couple in my home. We didn’t want to use chemicals because of our pets. In my internet search it popped up as a helpful spider/insect/bug control. I try to always keep a bag of it on hand.
      Thanks for the good wishes for my basil and the 8 o’clock. Thankfully the 8 o’clock is right by the porch, so we have a front row seat. I can hardly wait til next Spring/Summer. 😀

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