Our neighbrough and chaps down lottie are having the runners munched.
any ideas?
They have ruled out slugs, mine are fine down lottie and in flower but how strange just wondering if others have any problem or ideas?
Our runners get nibbled too - we suspect shield bugs as they're always lurking on the beans...
Why have slugs been ruled out? Slugs can never be ruled out and the lack of slime trails are not an indicator of their nonexistence. How are the beans being eaten? If they are partially consumed then slugs and snails must remain number 1 suspect. If areas of beans and foliage are disappearing it could be a bunny. Beans simply vanishing could be the results of predation from a humanoid species. The Southern Green Shield bugs can be a problem on beans but I doubt that they have reached Wales and anyway, they are sap suckers and populations are still quite small due to the cold June weather.
On our site a deer has taken a liking to young foliage (not the pods) on runner bean plants, anywhere from ground level up to about 3 feet. One unfortunate plot holder has had all her plants totally decimated.
Climbing French have been slightly nibbled, but nowhere near on the scale of the runners.
Mine are nibbled and I suspect the slugs are guilty. :-\ ??? ??? :-\ :'(
I have sprinkled slug pellets around the base of the plants, have just noticed the snails at the top of the sticks, so they pop down for a meal then go up again, crafty little devils.
The munchers were caught, via slug pellets. they were snails.