In message , Bertie Doe
writes
"Bobbie" wrote in message
Gordon H wrote:

Some of the flowers appear to have been neatly nipped off, or else
dropped off for some reason, and I remember having this frustrating
problem on previous crops, i.e. - losing the first few pods at least.

Birds my man, good ole common or garden birds. Trained I believe by Alfred
Hitchcock....I think.;-)
Bobbie

Sparrows are the worse culpits. The answer next year, if you have the space,
is to grow at least 2 rows and try and bore them to death.
Bertie

GRONE
My garden is littered with sparrows, I have even stopped filling the
feeders because they have mobbed away the brightly painted birds
(goldfinches). Yet birdwatchers everywhere say they are in
decline...
Had some nice greenfinches on the nut feeder today though...
Oh well, I suppose I'd better dig out some netting, if I still have some
in my garage.
--
Gordon H

"Gordon H" wrote in message
...
In message , Bertie Doe
writes
"Bobbie" wrote in message
Gordon H wrote:

Some of the flowers appear to have been neatly nipped off, or else
dropped off for some reason, and I remember having this frustrating
problem on previous crops, i.e. - losing the first few pods at least.

Birds my man, good ole common or garden birds. Trained I believe by
Alfred
Hitchcock....I think.;-)
Bobbie

Sparrows are the worse culpits. The answer next year, if you have the
space,
is to grow at least 2 rows and try and bore them to death.
Bertie

GRONE
My garden is littered with sparrows, I have even stopped filling the
feeders because they have mobbed away the brightly painted birds
(goldfinches). Yet birdwatchers everywhere say they are in
decline...
Had some nice greenfinches on the nut feeder today though...
Oh well, I suppose I'd better dig out some netting, if I still have some
in my garage.


Don't be in too much hurry to blame the sparrows. I am sure I read that
some bees will do this when they cannot get into the flower. If only I
could remember where.

In message , Christina Websell
writes

"Gordon H" wrote in message
...
In message , Bertie Doe
writes
"Bobbie" wrote in message
Gordon H wrote:

Some of the flowers appear to have been neatly nipped off, or else
dropped off for some reason, and I remember having this frustrating
problem on previous crops, i.e. - losing the first few pods at least.

Birds my man, good ole common or garden birds. Trained I believe by
Alfred
Hitchcock....I think.;-)
Bobbie

Sparrows are the worse culpits. The answer next year, if you have the
space,
is to grow at least 2 rows and try and bore them to death.
Bertie

GRONE
My garden is littered with sparrows, I have even stopped filling the
feeders because they have mobbed away the brightly painted birds
(goldfinches). Yet birdwatchers everywhere say they are in
decline...
Had some nice greenfinches on the nut feeder today though...
Oh well, I suppose I'd better dig out some netting, if I still have some
in my garage.

Don't be in too much hurry to blame the sparrows. I am sure I read that
some bees will do this when they cannot get into the flower. If only I
could remember where.

I did think it might have been an insect, something with pincers, but .
.. .
--
Gordon H

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...



Don't be in too much hurry to blame the sparrows. I am sure I read that
some bees will do this when they cannot get into the flower. If only I
could remember where.

Bumble bees will make a hole in the corolla from the outside to get at the
nectar, it doesn't usually prevent pollination though and I've never seen
them nip off the flkower.

Nor anything else, come to that - but I don't spend all my time watching
runner beans :-)

Mary

In message , Mary Fisher
writes

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...

Don't be in too much hurry to blame the sparrows. I am sure I read that
some bees will do this when they cannot get into the flower. If only I
could remember where.

Bumble bees will make a hole in the corolla from the outside to get at the
nectar, it doesn't usually prevent pollination though and I've never seen
them nip off the flkower.

Nor anything else, come to that - but I don't spend all my time watching
runner beans :-)

Mary

Neither do I, they don't move much in the five minutes or so I devote to
them every morning.
Unlike the wood pigeon which walked round and round the squirrel proof
feeding table the whole time I was eating breakfast this morning.
The upturned hanging basket cage defeats them all, but bears the scars
of squirrel teeth.
--
Gordon H