something is eating my runner bean plant

[NoviceVeg]

Help, something is eating at the stems of my plant causing them to break and the top die off. Also on the ground there seems to be runner bean leaves. This has effected the dwaf bean and my climbing beans, fromt the 6 plants I potted out I now have one. What is attacking my beans and how can I prevent the damage too my remaining plants.

[Small pumpkin]

It sounds like mice to me. How big are your bean plants? I know someone smarter than me will be along shortly to give you a better answer.

[Jay22]

It was slugs and snails who got half of mine, the other half though are doing quite nicely. Spent most nights picking the little blighters off the bag the beans are growing in and moving them over the fence into the yard behind us (not another garden I hasten to add!) The family think I'm crazy!

[Two_Sheds]

something is eating at the stems of my plant

The No.1 culprit is usually baby snails, I find them clustered at the top of my canes, hiding in the foliage.
As they seem to feed from the top down, they don't come into contact with the pellets on the ground, so I pick them off by hand and crush them

[NoviceVeg]

Thank for youradvice, but I'm not sure, my runner beans have grown almost to the top of the bean pole and the something has cut through the stem about a foot too two feet from the ground. I was wandering if it could be sparrows?

[teakdesk]

I grow runner beans in three distinct areas; my flower garden, my vegetable plot and my allotment.

All three areas have lots of snails and slugs and two very large pigeons. I know I get damage to crops from all three.

My veg plot and allotment are away from my dog so I use slug pellets. My garden isn't so I don't.

My runner beans only get eaten in the area without slug pellets.

This year 20 odd plants in the garden (ie every plant) were eaten while we were away on hols but 40 plants in two trays next to the area (my spares) were not eaten... until the following night!!! I can see slugs/snails gorging on those planted out and not needing to climb up to the trays of spares until the following night. Had it been the pigeons they would have found the trays easier to access first.


So, for me, the circumstantial evidence is clear, me lud, slugs or snails get my runner beans.


The pigeons get fruit and brassicas unless well netted but not the beans.


PS I've never known sparrows eat anything in my garden. Blackbirds take worms from around my beans and peas and regularly eat all the peas seeds but never bother the beans.

[teakdesk]

something has cut through the stem about a foot too two feet from the ground. I was wandering if it could be sparrows?

As above I doubt it but if it is indeed something like that (and not slugs/snails) you can help by protecting the stems by growing through a large water or cola bottle with the ends cut off. Also make bird scarers from CDs dangling down (although they never worked for me!)