How to Prevent Green Bean Pests

Pests are a natural part of any garden, and green beans are not immune from their damage. Whether you're growing a bush bean or a pole bean these pests, which include the bean leaf beetle and Mexican bean beetle, love to eat leaves, pods and stems---and can sometimes destroy a whole plant overnight. There are ways to combat these pests that run anywhere from using insecticides, to delayed planting, to the use of beneficial insects.

Notebook
Pen or pencil
Garden hoops
Floating row covers
Earth staples
Organic insecticidal spray

Instructions

- 1
  
  Check your plants for damage.
  
  Check your green bean plants for insect damage. Damage to leaves can make them look like a lace doily, and holes may appear in pods. Checking several times during the day will help you identify when the pests are snacking on your bean plants. Make a note of what you observe (and the time of day and year you observed it) in your notebook.
- 2
  
  Tall weeds and grasses are a green bean pest breeding ground.
  
  Remove tall weeds, grasses, or any other residue from crops if your green bean plants are surrounded by them. This will help eliminate breeding sites for green bean pests like the Mexican bean beetle, bean leaf beetle and bean cutworm.
- 3
  Place garden hoops over plants. If you're growing bush beans, then place floating row covers over the hoops and secure to the ground with earth staples to prevent bean pest infestation. Row cover will not work for pole bean plants as they grow too high for floating row covers to work effectively.
- 4
  
  Plant green beans when their pests are least active.
  
  Plant at the time when green bean pests are not prevalent. Check with your extension agent or master gardeners club to find out when green bean pests are most active and plant your beans when they are not. For instance, in the upper Midwest, green bean pests are active in spring. Planting in the summer will help reduce the damage.
- 5
  
  Use an insecticide to help stop green bean pest damage.
  
  Spray an organic insecticide on the green bean pests. This should stop them without you resorting to chemical-based insecticides.

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