Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Bean Leaf Beetles

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Ken Bezilla <kenbez AT hotmail.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Bean Leaf Beetles
  • Date: Sun, 18 May 2014 10:59:53 -0400

Alex McGregor emailed this to me directly since he's having trouble posting to the list, so I'm passing it on to the list -- thanks Alex!

...

We have had trouble with them in the past. They decimate the leaves on our pole beans, killing the plants and the larvae chew on the maturing bush beans making them unmarketable.

What we did was look at all the ways of controlling pests organically: Repelling, barriers, approved pesticides.

We eliminated repelling (garlic oil, etc.) because it's a lot of work to mix & spray regularly, especially with overhead irrigation washing it off. We don't even consider approved pesticides (rotenone, etc.) because they are nerve agents and just as dangerous to breathe or get on skin, though break down rapidly in the environment. Also, they're broad spectrum killers- kill pollinators and predators, too. These populations recover much slower than the pests. And some pests survive and breed anyway.

So, we went to barriers. We dropped pole beans and trialed different bush beans for flavor and production- this to please customers who insist on pole beans. (It takes some free samples to convince them that our bush beans are as good as pole beans.)

The barrier we use is lightweight row cover. We plant bush beans in beds, cover bed right after planting and remove cover when first blooms appear. This is to let the pollinators in. (Some legumes are considered- self pollinating, but research has shown they produce more if pollinated. This also feeds and encourages pollinators and predators.) The mature bean beetles move in also and eat a bit of leaf and lay eggs.
The adults do a bit of leaf damage, but Rodale Institute years ago experimented and found that up to 20% leaf area loss by pests increased the overall harvest.

Since most bush beans only set one good set of beans, when they are ready we pull them out, load in carts and pick the beans off in the shade. About now the larvae have started hatching, so we shred the plants and put them in the middle of a hot compost pile.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

Alex McGregor
Walden Farm
Walden, TN




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page