Bean Leef Beetle Damage

August 13th, 2008

I can’t catch a break with my bean plants. Earlier in the year it was slugs, which I handily dispatched with a cold beer. This time however, I have bean leaf beetles, and the solution is not so simple.

Bean Leaf Beetle

I know I have bean leaf beetles because instead of having large holes, I have many many smaller ones. I also know I have bean leaf beetles because in some areas there are brown spots instead of holes, as bean leaf beetles sometimes do not eat all the way through a leaf. Finally I know I have bean leaf beetles because they eat in the day and are easy to spot.

They come in many different colors, pale white, pale yellow, pale orange, bright red, brown, green. But they tend to have the same markings and the same body size, so you’ll know what you have. To an untrained non-gardener they may appear to be ladybugs, they are not. They are smaller and less round.

This things overwinter as adults and come out hungry in the Spring, so if you plant later in the year you may avoid the first wave, lucky you. If you do not avoid them though there aren’t many controls. I read that there is a tachinid parasite thing that is attracted to alfalfa that kills these suckers, but you can’t order it so the only way to get it is to plant alfalfa by your beans.

The following insecticides work on them, Asana XL, Di-Syston 15G, Orthene/Address 75S, Capture 2EC, Mustang 1.5EW, Sevin XLR, and other than those your only other option is really some sort of fine mesh netting, but then you have to worry about pollination and what is to stop the beetles from going under the net? I’ll be trying Sevin I think.

Man beans have a lot of pests don’t they?

Posted in: Edible Gardening, Troubleshooting » 

6 Responses to “Bean Leef Beetle Damage”

  1. Daisy  Says:
    August 13th, 2008 at 7:14 pm

    I’m probably going to curse my own garden, but I’ll say it anyway… those suckers are kinda cute. They do look like ladybugs! Good luck killin’ ’em.

  2. Matt Cohen  Says:
    August 15th, 2008 at 8:01 am

    Seems even in the colder zones the critters are a problem. I have no idea what to do with beetles which we grow rapidly and in many varieties. I just refuse to take there picture and hope they are insulted and move on to the neighbor’s!!!
    Matt Cohen, Zen of Watering Your Garden

  3. Philipe  Says:
    August 17th, 2008 at 7:04 pm

    I agree. Been having quite a time myself with them. Just don’t know what to do.

  4. penny  Says:
    August 21st, 2008 at 8:28 am

    love your blog. I refer to it often on my blog.

    I have something similar on my cucumbers and found out they are called Striped Cucumber Beetles. I thought the cucumbers were suffering from the vine borer, but the stem was clear of the larvae and then I put the pieces together that the little eggs I found were connected to the beetles, which were only on the cucumbers, etc, etc.

    Thanks for getting me started in the right direction.

  5. Bekah  Says:
    August 22nd, 2008 at 7:00 pm

    These remind me of aphids that get on my roses all the time! I hate them. Nice site!

  6. Anne-Marie  Says:
    August 24th, 2008 at 8:24 pm

    Aw, good luck with that. I haven’t ever had those little guys visiting before so can’t be of any help but I sure hope you’re able to get rid of them without too much trouble.

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