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Diagnosing Basil Leaf Damage: Slugs, Snails, or Caterpillars

Holes in basil leaves could be slugs, snails, or caterpillars. Test with a beer trap: a saucer of beer overnight. If slugs/snails drown, repeat nightly. If not, it's caterpillars—spray leaves with organic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).

About Gardening: Skeletonized Hibiscus Leaves: Low-Toxicity Fix; Unknown Animal Eating New Landscape: Inspect Before Acting; Managing Leaf-Feeding Insects and Fungal Spots on Young Cherry Tree; Leaf Galls on Oak Trees: Cosmetic Issue Requiring No Treatment; Sarracenia rubra Being Eaten? Slugs Are the #1 Suspect; Transplanting and Pinching Basil Seedlings for Bushy Growth; Identifying Leaf Damage on Canna 'Tropicanna': Slugs, Snails, or Pill Bugs in Screened Enclosures; Bean Seedling Leaf Damage: Slugs, Birds, or Cutworms? Hot Pepper Spray and Cultivation; Effective Slug Control for Container Gardens; Preserving Basil: Drying and Microwave Methods for Winter Use

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