How to Keep Critters Off My Green Bean Plants

by Anthony Smith

Overview

Green beans were originally brought over to North America from South America as an ornamental plant. They are of course now raised for their delicious beans, and a few plants can be very productive when cared for properly. If you would like to raise some green bean plants of your own, an important part of this care is the prevention of pests.

Step 1

Remove black bean aphids by inspecting your green bean plants regularly and looking for these tiny black pests. They will live in colonies, which you can scrape off easily. Make this a weekly part of your gardening.
Step 2

Plant marigold flowers in between the rows of green bean plants. These will serve to attract hoverflies and lady birds which eat the green bean pests.
Step 3

Control slugs by purchasing some nematodes from your local garden store or nursery. These will come in packets which you then dissolve in some water and apply as irrigation to your green bean plants. They are a microscopic, parasitic worm that enters the slugs and kills them.
Step 4

Purchase ladybugs and release them among the green bean plants as a natural means of controlling pests. Ladybugs feed heavily on aphids. You can buy containers of ladybugs at a nursery or garden center.
Step 5

Make a homemade insecticide solution and spray the green bean plants regularly. Mix 2 tablespoons of dish soap, combine it with a few drops of vegetable oil and one gallon of water, and pour it in a spray bottle. Spray a light coating over the leaves, stems and beans, and this will discourage any of those critters from feasting or making a home on your green bean plants.

Overview