I recently planted five varieties of mint in my herb garden and some basil. Normally I have never had any problems growing mint and know that it does act as a deterrent to several mites. Recently there has been a white discoulouration on the spearmint and spanish mint plants, along with the basil being eaten,. When I looked, a lot of white flies flew off the leaves. I have tried to find a means of dealing with the problem, but so far have found no writings about how to treat them. I obviously want to avoid a spray in case it prevents using the leaves for cooking.

Any ideas?