What is eating my scarlet runner beans?

Asked by: Dave Marshall

The major pests for runner beans are the looper catepillar, green vegetable bug and, sometimes whitefly.

What is eating my runner beans?

Slugs and snails love to eat young runner bean plants and can often cause irreversible damage over a single night. We have a special page devoted entirely to slugs and snails (click here) although runner beans respond to specific preventative measures which are particular to them.

What is attacking my runner beans?

Caterpillars and beetles are the two most common types of chewing pests. Cutworms are 1- to 2-inch-long brown caterpillars that are mainly active in the spring, chewing foliage and half runner bean blossoms.

What is eating holes in my runner bean leaves?

The bean leaf beetle (Cerotoma trifurcata) is a pest of snap beans (also called string beans or green beans). Adult beetles feed on the undersides of leaves, creating round, 1/8 inch diameter holes.

How do I stop slugs and snails eating my runner beans?

An easy and successful method of keeping slugs, snails from the runner beans growing in the raised beds has been to fix copper tape around the sides of the raised vegetable bed. This is particularly useful when the raised beds have been built against a fence or garden wall.

What animal is eating my green bean plants?

Squirrels, chipmunks and voles — all of which are rodents — attack bean plants from all angles. Squirrels and chipmunks often take bites out of leaves and/or maturing beans.

How do I get rid of runner beans bugs?

You can use slug pellets, beer traps or place copper rings around the stems of young plants. If you favour a less aggressive form of slug deterrent you can cover the soil around the plants with crushed oyster or eggshells, gardening grit or sharp gravel.

What to spray on green beans for bugs?

Treat string beans with chemical insecticides, following manufacturer’s instructions. Carbaryl, sold under the brand name Sevin, is available in powder and liquid form. Powder is used to dust bean plants and is quite effective for control of beetles and most string bean insect pests.

How do I get rid of bugs eating my green beans?

Apply a naturally occurring soil bacterium bacillus thuringiensis or BT to caterpillar infested bean plants.

What eats runner bean roots?

Bean seed fly maggots feed on the seeds and roots of beans – especially French and runner beans.

What is eating the roots of my beans?

Root maggots typically attack either legume plants (beans and peas) or cruciferous plants (cabbage, broccoli, turnips, radishes, etc.) but they are not exclusive to those plants and can be found on almost any type of vegetable.

What is eating the roots of my green beans?

Bean weevils, darkling beetles, cucumber beetles, lygus bugs and stinkbugs are a few of these munching insects that may be eating holes in your green bean plants. Controlling these munching bugs relies on good sanitation and cultural care.