Hi,

My family is growing broad beans in our veg. patch for the first time this year.

Already they have suffered from bean weevil. I sprayed them with Sybol last week but today I saw a couple of weevils on some of the plants. I don't really like using insecticides and I couldn't find any info on which insecticide to use. The plants are flowering now so I can't use Sybol on them.

Should I spray the plants with something else or will they be ok?

Also today i noticed the leaves have what look like small black mites on them. I wondered if anyone knew how to tell if these are black aphids or not? They are only tiny, about 1mm in length so I am not sure if they are black aphids.

Any help much appreciated,

Sallyann

"Sallyann" wrote in message
...
:
: Hi,
:
: My family is growing broad beans in our veg. patch for the first time
: this year.
:
: Already they have suffered from bean weevil. I sprayed them with Sybol
: last week but today I saw a couple of weevils on some of the plants. I
: don't really like using insecticides and I couldn't find any info on
: which insecticide to use. The plants are flowering now so I can't use
: Sybol on them.
:
: Should I spray the plants with something else or will they be ok?
:
: Also today i noticed the leaves have what look like small black mites
: on them. I wondered if anyone knew how to tell if these are black
: aphids or not? They are only tiny, about 1mm in length so I am not sure
: if they are black aphids.
:
: Any help much appreciated,
:
: Sallyann

Possibly flea beetle. I would puff with Derris although be careful not to
kill ANY LADYBIRDS AS THEY ARE GREAT FOR LOOKING AFTER THE GARDEN AND SEEM
TO BE IN MASSIVE NUMBERS THIS YEAR oops sorry for caps

www.rraa.moonfruit.com

"Robert" wrote in message
...

"Sallyann" wrote in message
...
:
: Hi,
:
: My family is growing broad beans in our veg. patch for the first time
: this year.
:
: Already they have suffered from bean weevil. I sprayed them with Sybol
: last week but today I saw a couple of weevils on some of the plants. I
: don't really like using insecticides and I couldn't find any info on
: which insecticide to use. The plants are flowering now so I can't use
: Sybol on them.
:
: Should I spray the plants with something else or will they be ok?
:
: Also today i noticed the leaves have what look like small black mites
: on them. I wondered if anyone knew how to tell if these are black
: aphids or not? They are only tiny, about 1mm in length so I am not sure
: if they are black aphids.
:
: Any help much appreciated,
:
: Sallyann

Possibly flea beetle. I would puff with Derris although be careful not to
kill ANY LADYBIRDS AS THEY ARE GREAT FOR LOOKING AFTER THE GARDEN AND SEEM
TO BE IN MASSIVE NUMBERS THIS YEAR oops sorry for caps

www.rraa.moonfruit.com

Or ladybird larvae which look totaly unlike adults

Picture on here -

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/factsheets/gg12.php

or lacewing larvae which consume around 10 times as many aphids
as ladybirds

Picture on here -

http://www.greengardener.co.uk/aphidhedges.htm



michael adams

...

Thanks for the replies. I looked at the pictures and they were definitely not ladybird or lacewing larvae.

I didn't think they were big enough to be flea beetles but when i went to put some in jar to show my mum (who knows much more about gardening than me) they did jump like fleas!

I will have a look on the internet this morning to try and find out if flea beetles do any harm.

Thanks,

Sallyann

"Sallyann" wrote in message
...

Thanks for the replies. I looked at the pictures and they were
definitely not ladybird or lacewing larvae.

I didn't think they were big enough to be flea beetles but when i went
to put some in jar to show my mum (who knows much more about gardening
than me) they did jump like fleas!

I will have a look on the internet this morning to try and find out if
flea beetles do any harm.

Thanks,

Sallyann



The only time to worry is if they're doing postive damage to the
plants. Flea beetles, and maybe their lavae, will eat small holes
in the leaves. However most plants can stand a few holes in the
leaves in any case. As they can the ocasional lump chewed from
the edges by the odd weevil. If you were a subsistence farmer
whose whole livelihood depended on growing a single field of beans
then that might be different. And the presence of any such threat
would a cause for immediate worry.

In my experience black bean aphids are only a problem later in
the year - when there are actually beans hanging on the vines
and I often use a softish jet of water out of a pump sprayer
to stun them rather than use dilute washing up liquid which
will get in their eyes. Which can't be much fun for them. Whereas
what ladybirds and other natural predators get up to, is none of
my business. True.


michael adams

....




--
Sallyann