Bean Beetles Attack!

Epilachna verivestis - The Mexican Bean Beetle

Pest, pest, and more pest. This is the time of year when they're out in full abundance. If the Japanese Beetles haven't gotten to your plants, there's a good chance the bean beetles have attacked your beans or other legume crops. The Mexican Bean Beetle is an infamous pest known to gardeners and farmers alike. Sometimes they attack and before you know it, your bean leaves start to look like skeletons. The adult bean beetles arrive in late spring and lay hundreds of clusters of eggs all on the under-side of bean leaves. The larvae then starts to inflict immediate damage - reeking havoc upon the leaves.They can decimate a crop in no-time, so it's best to be on the look-out and get things under control before you lose a valuable food source.

Population Control!

If the beetles have gotten started, there's a good chance when you go to take action you will discover hundreds of larvae on the under-side of the leaves. Don't be overwhelmed (or grossed-out) by the amount of tiny creatures attacking your plant. Now is the time to save your beans! After you've identified the problem it's time to start solving - and this is done by way of population control.

Take the larvae out! The best way to reduce the population is to take out the larvae on-by-one. When you get in your plants and start figuring out their hiding spots, your hands will guide you into squishing the pest and ending their life cycle - in turn - saving your plants life.

It will take some time but, eventually you'll get through and have done a thorough job of reducing the Bean Beetle population and thus giving your plants the advantage of producing a healthier, more vibrant crop.

Happy Squishing.