Looks like spit on my plants. What is this?

I have two plants that look like someone spit on them. Lol! What is causing it and what can I do for it? It was first on a pepper plant that I actually got rid of and now it's on my big beautiful basil! Thanks!

Moderator's note: added a more descriptive title to topic

 

Probably a spittle bug. They have a little layer of foam around them. They look gross, but really don't do too much harm to your plants.

 

Spray it off with a stream of water from the garden hose. Netty is probably right, I thought the same thing.

 

Ha ! When we were kids we used to call that snake spit, scared the dickens out of city kids.

 

Called cuckoo spit in Britain. Amazing how many people have never seen it. Fairly common when we were young.

 

Lol!

I noticed on my sage that it looked like a big thing of spiderwebs on it. I cut all of that off. I found little worms or caterpillars on it. And something is munching away on my squash and zucchini. I looked for slugs at night. Didn't see any. We have those little potato bugs or rolly pollies or whatever they're called. And I've got ants all over the place! This stuff is stressing me out. Lol!!!

 

Welcome to the wonderful world of gardening! Pests is as pests do!

 

Go to the dollar store and get some Sargeants flea and tick spray for dogs or cats. Pour about an ounce in a spray bottle ( like an old windex bottle) fill the rest with water and a squirt of dish soap and spray the plants with the bugs, that will be the end of them. If you are organic use the cat spray,,either will work.

 

If what you have is indeed spittle bug with a bubble nest...you could take a little Q-Tip amd carefully remove the white bubbles (spit) and you will expose the larva at work.

Here they are green. Once exposed, you can dispose of the little beast.

When I have these in the garden, I remove them in this way, one-for-one.

Good luck with your spittle quandary.

 

Ha ha! Thank you. Can ants eat the plants? We are surrounded by ants and those potato bugs (curl up into a ball).

 

Ants do not eat plants, BUT their nests in the roots can kill plants because of over-acidification. (Ants produce formic acid in huge amounts). They also 'farm' aphids for the honey dew which is basically aphid urine. So if you see ants running up and down a plant, they are looking after their herds of greenfly, which are feeding on your precious.
What do you mean by 'potato bugs'?

 

PDM, I think you have pill bugs not potato beetles. Potato beetles feed on the foliage of the potatoes and pill bugs will eat anything. They are little grey "armadillo" like bugs that roll up if you disturb them. they are actually a crustacean.

 

That's right. We called them both when growing up. Pill bugs. How do I get rid of them? They are ALLLLLL over my garden.

 

We called them potato bugs...not potato beetles. I didn't even know there was such a thing as a potato beetle. Lol!!!

 

Get any debris (dropped leaves, fruit, etc.) out of your garden and keep the plant foliage off the ground. if it is touching the ground clip it off. You can also try diatomecious earth as a "dusting" all over the ground in your garden. I have bought it in a 50# bag and it is much cheaper. try a greenhouse supply place or a grain elevator.