The black fly have arrived - help !

[Palmers-patch]

Hello all

Am growing broad beans for the first time - a couple of the plants which are now starting to flower have a small colony of black fly at the base of the flower stem. Do I pinch these out and lose those flowers and hope no more flies arrive for the rest of the crop? I once heard that spraying them with fairy liquid in water with a garden spray would help - yes or no ? Also do ants eat black fly? There seem to be a fair few around the crop.

Would appreciate any help....
Thanks

[HeyWayne]

As far as I'm aware ants "farm" blackfly for their nectar (the secrete a sweet substance). I too have grown broad beans for the first time this year and have a small colony on one of my plants. I pinched out the tops, and was lucky enough to find a couple of ladybirds on the plot which I moved onto the broad bean plants to see if they were feeling hungy.

Might give the washing up liquid thing a go too if I see no improvements.

Good luck with yours.

[momol]

Hi Palmers,

Apart from inviting lady bugs or spraying with soap water, get rid of the ants!
Ants will protect the black fly colony from any beneficial insects (including against the lady bugs).
Plant some nasturtium to attract the black fly, it works as a trap plant and hopefully they leave your broad beans alone. Good luck.

[Phattaff]

All i can say is do something about it now, we just lost all our broad bean plants to black fly and have just seen some on the runner beans so as far as i'm concerned it now war (funny you should say about the ants Mr HeyWayne as that's what brought my attention to the runners, may try some ant powder round the base of the pot).
Good luck getting rid of those pesky blackfly.
All the best Phattaff

[moggssue]

So what do the blackfly actually do to the beans then? Suck the sap I presume thus weakening the plant? I have a lovely infestation on my broadies ....

[gojiberry]

Blackfly increase at an alarming rate and will if left unchecked completely cover a plant from top to toe. They suck the sap and obviously they will get to a point where the plant and beans are affected. Usually if you pinch out the growing tip the blackfly will stop multiplying on that plant and sometimes even leave the plant. The plant can cope quite well with small numbers without the crop being compromised.

Ian

[Cutecumber]

I try and squash any small colonies I find - at the moment they are on my parsnips, the little beggars!

The tend to stain the fingers (and the plants) so a soapy wash for both afterwards is a good idea.

[areia]

ive been out with a flat hog brush, bushing them off and spraying with diluted washing up liquid, any ladybirds i find i try a pick them up, blackfly and slugs arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[sewer rat]

Blackfly are a very common problem with Broad Beans and are usually to be found on the growing tip of the plant. If the plant is mature, just pinch the growing tip off and voila - problem dissapears . If you fail to do this they will infest the whole plant and it will eventually die a slow and painful death - but if your plants ever get that bad then a visit to the local opticians is in order

[shirlthegirl43]

I spotted greenfly on one of our broad bean plants. I gave it a dose of the bug gun and they seem to have gone. However, my eyesight isn't brilliant so I hope there are no blackflies now

[Norm]

Seems to me you have 2 options.
1) Be organic and lose the crop
2) Use insecticide and have something to eat at the end of this.

[Palmers-patch]

Thanks from Palmers-patch

Thanks everyone for your replies, am using a combination of your methods - the earth is dusted with ant powder, a couple of tips are pinched out and any strays with be squashed.... it's war out there !

[shirlthegirl43]

I agree with you there Norm. I try to grow organically where possible but I am determined to have a crop as I only have a few of each veg at the moment. I am sure that whatever I use my veg will be better than anything I buy in the supermarket.

[Two_Sheds]

One variety of my (4) broad beans is affected, fairly badly (Red Epicure ~ but not the Crimson flowered, the Witkiem nor the Aquedulce). I am squishing every day, the tops were pinched out a week ago, but now the pods are infested. It is really starting to be a losing battle.

This is my first year on this plot, so I don't have a colony of friendly predators yet - hopefully next year I will have enough ladybirds to control these pesky little blighters.

[esrikandan]

My broadies are quite heavily infested. However, nothing else is as a consequence, so I am treating them as a sacrificial veg in the hope that they only remain on the broadies.

Last year my Cherry was very infected and it was a loosing fight, whereas this year the cherry is completely clear.