maggots in runner beans

[Pompeylottie]

Hi, I planted up my runner bean plants yesterday - I had grown the beans in cell trays with new compost and one pack of new seeds and some old ones from last year. After planting some up a wigwam I realised that the bean seeds were full of maggots and the seeds that never grew in the cells had even more maggots. Anyone got any ideas what maggots they may be and how they got there? New and old seed were affected.

I have bought some climbing french beans today - I hope they wont be affected.
Thanks

[King Carrot]

Could be Bean Weevil - freezing the seed when it's absolutely dry will kill them - bit late now, though if you're saving seed this year it would be a good way of getting them out of any of that seed for next year.

[Two_Sheds]

Bean weevil doesn't lay its eggs in the seed: it lays on the soil where the larvae eat the roots: http://www.which.co.uk/documents/pdf...ems-151476.pdf

[Two_Sheds]

I've never had this problem, but I googled "runner bean maggot" and found this ...apparently it's a growing problem (pun intended): bean seed fly (Delia platura and Delia floriga is probably on its way to East Angular any time soon

[King Carrot]

Bean weevil doesn't lay its eggs in the seed: it lays on the soil where the larvae eat the roots

Maybe this has only happened to me but I've seen the Bean weevil Larva overwinter in the actual Beans that are saved - they chewed tunnels all through the beans - this is when you can freeze them to kill the Larva - the article actually mentions doing that with the bean seed fly as well!

[Flummery]

You do get bean weevils in beans - I've seen them in broad beans - like little beetles. Freezing does them in as King Carrot says. I've never seen them as maggots though. The sign you have them in little holes in the beans when harvested.

[Two_Sheds]

You might remember those horrible African beetles I got in some broadies (they were sourced by T&M from Africa) *shudders*

[Two_Sheds]

You do get bean weevils in beans - I've seen them in broad beans

I think that's a different bug: the bruchid beetle (Broad bean seed beetle / RHS Gardening Advice)

[Pompeylottie]

Thanks for advice - I think its the bean seed fly, goodness knows how I got it at home, I can understand at the allotment but they've been on my bedroom windowsill! Or perhaps they were already in the seed. Anyway, just when you think you've beaten the pests - along comes another one!

[King Carrot]

You might remember those horrible African beetles I got in some broadies (they were sourced by T&M from Africa) *shudders*

I'm not familiar with their story! What became of them? - I take it they didn't get a two up, two down and settle down for good in your locale

[Two_Sheds]

perhaps they were already in the seed.

They would've been, mine were. I've only ever had them in the Violetta I bought from T&M (I save my own seed normally, just fancied a different colour).

I'm not familiar with their story! What became of them?

The whole pack was infested and more & more beetles kept appearing, it was a bit horror-story-ish. The seeds were unusable, the beetles were sent down the plug hole. I wrote to T&M who explained the seeds came from Africa (which I didn't know) and they sent me a pack of Bunyards Exhibition as replacement

[King Carrot]

They would've been, mine were. I've only ever had them in the Violetta I bought from T&M (I save my own seed normally, just fancied a different colour).

The whole pack was infested and more & more beetles kept appearing, it was a bit horror-story-ish. The seeds were unusable, the beetles were sent down the plug hole. I wrote to T&M who explained the seeds came from Africa (which I didn't know) and they sent me a pack of Bunyards Exhibition as replacement

I would never have imagined it'd would be ok to import seed to Europe from Africa for this very kind of reason.

[Alison]

Am going to stop reading this thread, it's making me itch worse than the threat of the nit nurse when I was a kid!

[Two_Sheds]

I would never have imagined it'd would be ok to import seed to Europe from Africa for this very kind of reason.

Yeah, I was surprised.

They were shown as "out of stock" after I complained, and they're not listed at all now

[Incy]

Am going to stop reading this thread, it's making me itch worse than the threat of the nit nurse when I was a kid!

Me too! Eeeeeeew!!!!!