What's Eating My Mint?
Mint usually does the invading, not the suffering — so visible damage stands out. A short list covers nearly every case.
The usual suspects
Spider mites
The signs: Pale stippled leaves going gray-bronze, fine webbing at stem tips in hot dry weather.
What it looks like: Tap a sprig over paper and watch for moving dust.
What to do: Shower the patch hard every few days — mites hate moisture — and cut the planting back to regrow clean.
Flea beetles
The signs: Small round pinholes scattered across leaves, spring-heavy.
What it looks like: Tiny jumping black beetles; mint has its own specialist species.
What to do: Mint outgrows it; shear the patch and let it reflush if the look bothers you.
Aphids
The signs: Curled sticky tips, colonies at growing points.
What it looks like: Soft green or dark clusters.
What to do: Rinse-blast and harvest hard; mint recovers from anything.
Loopers and cutworms
The signs: Ragged holes (loopers) or stems clipped at soil level in spring (cutworms).
What it looks like: Green inchworm-style larvae on leaves; C-curled soil dwellers below.
What to do: Handpick loopers, patrol soil after cut stems; a healthy mint bed shrugs both off.
When it's not a pest at all
Orange powdery pustules on stems and leaf undersides are mint rust, a fungus. Cut infected stands to the ground and remove the trimmings; clean regrowth usually follows.
Or just point your phone at it
Snap a photo of the leaf, the bug, or the droppings, and Harold — the advisor built into Homestead Paradise — names what he sees, tells you friend or foe, and what he'd do next. Honest when he's unsure, and careful where it counts.
Put Harold's Eyes on it — free 14-day trial