Hi everyone,
Completely new to this forum but hoping for a little advice from some experts! I've set up a couple of large raised veg beds for the first time this year and so far it's going really well and am loving it. In one patch I've got about 12 broad bean plants, now almost 4 feet high and flowers in abundance for the last few weeks. I had noticed ants crawling up and down them a few weeks ago but hadn't thought much of it. Today I noticed that a lot of the lower down flowers were dying and dropping off and on closer inspection, I see that every single flower has a small bitten hole at its base, presumably made by the ants. Opening up the live flowers there's 5 or 6 insects crawling about, about 1mm in length, thin (fraction of a needle) and almost all white with a few brown and black. Don't appear to be aphid shaped. I have scoured the tips and the underneath of the leaves and can't see any actual aphids or black fly.
Is this all very simple - are they just black fly in early stages that are being farmed by the ants or are they a different species that the ants are trying to keep at bay by biting into the base of the flowers to get to them? I note that the ants are generally too big to fit into the flower opening so presumably this is their route in.
Although they look healthy now, I get the impression that all of these flowers will not pollinate to form pods and will just die and drop off. People talk of washing the plant with water and washing up liquid, but I'm pretty sure this won't get into the flowers, but it would remove blackfly if they were on the stems or underneath leaves. What do people think this is, and what would your approach be? Remove all of the ones with holes in (almost every one except for the new developing green buds that the ants haven't got to yet!) or leave them and hope some pollinate? If I do remove all of the damaged ones, is there any way of preventing it happening again? I've got a later sow at the pre-flower stage.
Sorry for the long post, but thought it would be useful to describe the problem well!
Thanks in advance,
Jim
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jimmacfarlane
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- Joined: Fri Jun 21, 2013 5:53 pm
- Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Can you post a picture?
It sounds like aphid nymphs. The ants are farming them. Control the ants with ant bait. Hose off the plants with a jet of water to dislodge them. You may have to open the leaves up at the terminal bud to get to them.
Plant some companion plants to attract predators. Marigolds, nasturtiums (if it is still cold enough there), fennel ( plant outside the garden about 20 ft away. It attracts a lot of beneficial bugs but does not like company. Dill will also work but also plant it about 20 ft away, it is not a bean companion, but like fennel will attract a lot of ladybugs, hover flies, parasitic wasps especially once it blooms. It should not be planted next to beans or the beans may stunt.
It sounds like aphid nymphs. The ants are farming them. Control the ants with ant bait. Hose off the plants with a jet of water to dislodge them. You may have to open the leaves up at the terminal bud to get to them.
Plant some companion plants to attract predators. Marigolds, nasturtiums (if it is still cold enough there), fennel ( plant outside the garden about 20 ft away. It attracts a lot of beneficial bugs but does not like company. Dill will also work but also plant it about 20 ft away, it is not a bean companion, but like fennel will attract a lot of ladybugs, hover flies, parasitic wasps especially once it blooms. It should not be planted next to beans or the beans may stunt.