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Old 29-05-2007, 11:57 AM posted to rec.gardens.edible
Pat Kiewicz Pat Kiewicz is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 237
Default what is eating my bean leaves

Him said:

What is BT?

It is not sluggs ... no trail.

Not rabbits ... it is an insect .. holes start out small and take over
leaf.


Do you see the insects at all?

If there is no sign (during the day) of any insect, I would suspect earwigs,
especially if the plants are seedlings. These feed at night. Set traps
for them. You could also go out late at night and spray them directly
with insecticidal soap.

if you see any tiny dark beetles that hop off the plant when disturbed
that could be the culprit (flea beetles). Dust the plants and the ground
around them with coffee grounds, or try a garlic and hot pepper spray.

Neither of these will be controlled by Bt.

I'm assuming the problem isn't Mexican bean beetles or bean leaf beetles
because you surely would have seen some obvious sign of the beetles or
larvae.

Cabbage loopers will sometimes feed on beans, but you should have been
able to spot the small inch-worm type caterpillars if that were the case.
--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)