Tulasi Plant Insect Guide: Bugs and Pests

In this Tulasi plant insect guide, we have compiled a list of the most common bugs and pests for Tulasi plants, how to diagnose which bug she has, and how to get rid of them. As a general rule keep Tulasi and her space clean, maintain good humidity levels, use organic growing methods and Organic fertilizers to help prevent bugs.

To start off, the best bug repellent for plants is neem oil. Here is a simple recipe to make a neem oil spray at home. This recipe can resolve the majority of bug problems. To diagnose other common Tulasi plant illnesses, check out this article. Feel free to contact us with any questions.

Neem Spray Recipe:
1 liter sized spray bottle
1 liter warm filtered water
½ teaspoon neem oil
½ teaspoon eucalyptus castile soap

Mix oil and soap well in a spray bottle so the oil is evenly mixed. Then add warm water and stir/shake thoroughly. When using the spray, be sure to thoroughly wet Tulasi until she is dripping wet. Thoroughly spray the underside of leaves because most bugs feed there. If the mixture has been left sitting in the spray bottle, after some time it will need to be rewarmed and stirred thoroughly. Give Tulasi Devi some airflow, and let her leaves dry.

For more info why we recommend this spray and how it works, check out our Tulasi Neem Spray article.

Bugs:

Note: Bugs can generally be avoided by maintaining proper humidity levels, soil nutrients, and cleanliness.

Note: Bugs can generally be avoided by maintaining proper humidity levels, soil nutrients, and cleanliness.

Spider Mites:

Identification: Spider mites are the most common pests you’ll encounter. When Tulasi has spider mites she will have some discoloration and will seem like shes struggling or weak. Spider mites are the size of a pinhead and can be identified by the small webs they make, usually in one area. The webs often go from branch to branch and around the undersides of leaves. There will also be little dots on her leaves, and oftentimes you will be able to see the little spiders. They are really easy to miss if you are inattentive and can quickly take over her body.

Symptoms: Discoloration of leaves, stunted growth, wilting in extreme cases, webs, white dots on leaves.

Treatment: Use cotton wool to remove mites and webs off of leaves/branches. Thoroughly spray Tulasi with neem spray (recipe below) until she is dripping wet. Be sure to thoroughly get the underside of her leaves. Repeat this process every 3-5 days until they are fully gone.

White Flies:

Identification: Whiteflies are very small (1mm or smaller) and feed on the underside of leaves. They generally go for small healthy leaves and eventually will grow big and fly around. They leave a sticky liquid on the leaves, if it gathers for to long it will grow mold, so if you see mold there might be some whiteflies around. They’re the second most common bug next to spider mites.

Symptoms: Yellowing leaves, stunted growth, mold on leaves.

Treatment: Get sticky traps to catch the flies as they fly around. For enclosed grow spaces, the Encarsia bug feeds on white flies and is commonly used to treat whitefly infestations. Thoroughly spray Tulasi with neem spray (recipe below) until she is dripping wet. Be sure to thoroughly get the underside of her leaves. Repeat this process every 3-5 days until they are fully gone.

Four Lined Plant Bug:

Identification: Four lined plant bugs look like a little beetle, they are about 7.5mm long, 4mm wide and bright colored. They feed on her leaves and leave brown dot-like indents where ever they eat. The leaves they feed on will sometimes dry up and fall off. They usually come in the late spring and leave eggs that will hatch the following year.

Symptoms: Brown dot-like indents on leaves, dried leaves, falling leaves.

Treatment: If you see them put them outside somewhere and thoroughly spray Tulasi with neem spray (recipe below) until she is dripping wet. Be sure to thoroughly get the underside of her leaves. Repeat this process every 3-5 days until they are fully gone.

Scales:

Identification: Scales are a difficult pest to detect, they hide on Tulasi’s stems and have woody looking bodies that blends in with her bark. As Tulasi grows her stem gets wider, as she gets bigger little cracks in the bark are created, scales feed on these cracks, slowly sucking the life out of her. Scales are usually 3-4 mm in size, oval shaped, and have a brown dot on their back, they can be found on Tulasi’s mature woody stems.

Symptoms: Mold, stunted growth, yellowing leaves, in extreme cases there can be wilting and eventually she will leave if untreated.

Treatment: For enclosed grow spaces the Cryptolaemus or Metaphycus bugs can be used to help get rid of scales. 91% isopropyl alcohol will kill them. Take a cotton swab soaked in the alcohol and rub where the scale is. It’s really hard to find them, so best to just rub all over Tulasi’s stem. If this is not done thoroughly and immediately, then the scales will come back and cause lots of trouble. After some time once they seem to be gone check up on her daily to see if they came back.

Mealy bugs:

Identification: Mealy bugs are common greenhouse pests, they’re small (2-3mm) wingless, soft-bodied and appear like small cotton balls on leaves and stems. They feed on plants by drinking sap through the plants tissue. When they’re population is low they don’t do to much damage, but in high concentrations they cause yellowing leaves and wilting as they slowly kill the plant. They can be easily identified by their appearance and their sticky residue trail which attracts mold.

Symptoms: Yellowing leaves, deformed leaves, waxy thread trail, mold, wilting.

Treatment: For enclosed grow spaces the Cryptolaemus bug can be used to get rid of mealybugs. Thoroughly spray Tulasi with neem spray (recipe below) until she is dripping wet. Be sure to thoroughly get the underside of her leaves. Repeat this process every 3-5 days until they are fully gone. If the neem spray doesn’t do the job then 91% isopropyl alcohol will kill them. Take a cotton swab soaked in the alcohol and rub where the bugs are.

Leafhoppers:

Identification: Leaf hoppers are most common in North America. They’re small (6mm long) slender insects that can be green, yellow, or brown in color. They do not have wings but can jump long distances. They feed on plants by piercing the underside of leaves and drink plant juices. Their saliva is toxic and causes white spots to form on the leaves.

Symptoms: White spots on leaves, curling leaves, yellow leaves, stunted growth, leaf distortion.

Treatment: Get sticky traps to catch them as they jump around. If you see them put them outside somewhere and thoroughly spray Tulasi with neem spray (recipe below) until she is dripping wet. Be sure to thoroughly get the underside of her leaves. Repeat this process every 3-5 days until they are fully gone. This will make the plant bug sick and go away.

Aphids:

Identification: Aphids are 3mm small, soft bodied insects, they can be green, yellow, brown, red, or black in color depending on the species. They have two antennas on their head and two cornincles on their hind. Usually they are wingless but sometimes can have wings. They’re not so harmful in small quantities, but in large amounts they can do alot of damage causing Tulasi to wilt, turn yellow, and grow weak.

Symptoms: Mold, curling leaves, wilting, yellowing leaves, stunted growth.

Treatment: For enclosed grow spaces, Hover Flies or Aphidius bugs can be used to get rid of aphids. Thoroughly spray Tulasi with neem spray (recipe below) until she is dripping wet. Be sure to thoroughly get the underside of her leaves. Repeat this process every 3-5 days until they are fully gone.

Thrips:

Identification: Thrips are commonly found in greenhouses and gardens, they are really small (less than 1mm) yellow or black thin insects with wings. Without a microscope they look like little threads on the leaves. They suck life out of plants, making them turn pale, and weak, and eventually killing them.

Symptoms: Pale leaves, silvery leaves, possible disfiguration of leaves, possible wilting.

Treatment: Get sticky traps to catch them as they fly around. Thoroughly spray Tulasi with neem spray (recipe below) until she is dripping wet. Be sure to thoroughly get the underside of her leaves. Repeat this process after 3-5 days until they are fully gone.

Other Natural Repellents:

Plants That Repel Bugs:
These plants can be grown near Tulasi to help repel bugs.

Nice Bugs That Eat Bad Bugs:
These bugs can be kept with Tulasi in enclosed growing areas, like greenhouses, to combat any bugs that might hurt Tulasi

Check out our other foundational articles on watering, lighting, nutrients, temperature, humidity and soil to learn how to take care of the Tulasi plant. If you don’t already have a plant, get some seeds here, and watch our video on how to grow them.

Look over this article to learn how to diagnose your Tulasi plant when she’s sick and feel free to contact us with any questions. If you want to deepen your knowledge about the Tulasi plant from ancient Vedic wisdom, check out this amazing book.