Cookaholics Bulletin Board

All,

My rosemary and lavender are getting attacked by spittlebugs. They don't do that much damage, but they're disgusting and make it hard to just harvest the herbs when I want. We usually have them, but with all the rain there's more than I've ever seen.

Other than dislodging them with high-pressure water spray, how do I get rid of these?

I assume you are growing in containers. Most of what I've seen online says just use a strong spray of water. You may want to completely cover the plant with cheap (i.e. airy) cheesecloth for a week or so afterward to prevent reinfestation.

If you have recurrent problems you may have to start over because once they are established the only way to get rid of them is to destroy the eggs by tilling. Obviously that's tough to do in containers, but you could try re-potting in new soil. (I am assuming you don't want to use any petro-chemicals.)

I have an organic pest control book at home; I'll check it tonight to see if there is anything else.

P.S. It's not spit, it's from the other end...

Darcie,

No, they're planted in the ground.