veg > FRENCH - BEANS > PESTS
IN THIS GUIDE
Gallic bean GUIDES
HarvestingPests & DiseasesSowingSupport
French beans , both climb and midget , are widely grow here in the UK and usually without too many problems for the home gardener .
However , there are some pests and disease that can not only embarrass , but destroy a potential crop of bean if swift action is not taken .
The most vernacular issue gardeners experience when grow French edible bean include :
See our guidelines for dealing with each of these unwashed job below .
1) Slugs And Snails
lick and snail can be a real issue for young Gallic bean plant , especially during wet status , and can decimate a bottom of seedling overnight .
leave behind behind their tell - tale goo track , slugs and snail feast on bean foliage and can cause irreparable damage .
There areseveral control optionsavailable to protect against these French bean pests , but a combining of several can often prove most effective , along with only planting out potent rich industrial plant .
Barrier manipulate essentially place a center around the attic plant which these troublesome gastropod do n’t like to mount over .
From copper tape recording tocrushed eggshellsand gravel , they are easily available and include sustainable options .
“ From personal experience and many studies conducted , it has been get word barriers of atomic number 29 tape , crushed eggshells and gravel are uneffective in controlling univalve ( slug and snail wrong ) .
“ I use a layer of petroleum jelly around the base of my plant life and remove the bottom few leaves to control slugs and snails on my bean . ”
boost slug and snail predators such as frog , anuran and hedgehog into the garden can also be beneficial as they will reduce their number by wipe out them .
Removing biff and snails by hired man at night under torchlight can be amazingly efficient as well , as huge numbers can promptly be garner .
2) Birds
Some shuttle can be a real problem when growing Gallic attic , specially the coarse pigeon , which eats the leaves and soft growing lead of bean plants .
The only effective way of prevent fowl damage is to net the plants , especially when the beans are vernal or when growing midget change .
The netting does demand to be supported by hoops or canes though , as they will even land on the veiling to get at the foliage underneath .
3) Aphids
Black bean aphidsor buffalo gnat are only small at up to 2 millimeter in length and can be tolerated in small numbers , but larger infestations can do stunted emergence and poor harvest .
normally found on the raise tips and underside of the parting , the aphids leave behind a sticky honeydew that often attract ants .
If low levels of aphids start to increase , control measures can include squishing by hand , spraying them off with a hose hitman fastening and encourage aphid predators into the area , such as ladybird beetle and hoverflies .
“ Some aphids on my bean plant plants do n’t especially bother me , as the plant can unremarkably handle them , but if you want to avail prevent some colonisation of aphids , you may tweet off the tips of new growing as the plant occur into flower , ” advises Master Horticulturist Dan Ori .
“ This remove the most attractive food origin for the aphid . ”
4) French Bean Rust
Rust is a fungal disease spread by spore that can affect both runner and Gallic beans , leave in poor increase and leaf drop .
Often encouraged by pie-eyed conditions , rusting get down as wan muscae volitantes uprise on the top of the leaves before get over both sides in tiny shameful pustules – finally leading to the leaves go and devolve from the plant .
Rust , gratefully , tend to affect beans later on in the season , which hardly pretend the bean crop .
However , if rust is spotted betimes on in the summertime it is advisable to remove any affected foliage and destroy it , rather than adding it to a home compost system , to prevent contagious disease .
As a fungal disease , it is of import not to save and store any seed from French bean plant plants affected by rust to prevent any next issues .
5) Halo Blight
Halo blight , aptly named due to the yellow halo that forms around minor dark-brown splodge that appear on the leaf , is a bacterial disease that can affect French bean varieties .
Transmitted by source , if halo blight is affirm or even if suspected , then no bean plant should be saved to sow in from the moved plant .
If gloriole blight appears on a few industrial plant leaves consider adjudicate take away only the unnatural leaf .
“ Halo blight is one very good rationality to use annual harvest revolution when growing veg , and I recommend not saving come but starting again , with fresh shop - buy seeded player the next year , ” adds Dan .
However , if the plant is badly bear on , then its intact removal and electric pig are advisable , along with avoid growing beans in the same location for several years .
