What insect could be eating bean seedlings?
Question:
The bean seedling leaves are being eaten, sometimes just when true leaves emerge and sometimes after true leaves are established. What is eating them?
Answer:
Jonathan Foster, Special Projects Assistant
I’m awfully sorry to see the state of your bean seedlings!
There are several possible culprits for the damage you’re seeing, among them the bean leaf beetle and the common garden slug. Before offering any advice on controls, I would recommend doing some scouting close up on the plants to see if we can locate a member of the pest species in question. Slugs like to feed at night, so taking a flashlight out after full dark can help in catching them in the act (and hand picking them to dispose of can go a long way toward mitigating the problem). Once we know for sure what’s causing the damage, we’ll be able to give advice on interventions.