Aphids suck the juice out of bean plants and other vegetables, weakening the plant. The secretions they secrete also damage the bean. Below you will find six tips from us on how you can fight aphids on beans naturally and how you can prevent an infestation.
How can you get rid of aphids on beans naturally?
Natural control of aphids on beans includes spraying with water, applying diluted soft soap or vinegar, using garlic or introducing ladybugs. These methods help reduce infestation and do not harm the plant or environment.
Identifying aphids on beans
Beans are usually attacked by the black bean louse (Aphis fabae) in spring. Field beans are particularly at risk. If the infestation is already advanced, it is very easy to recognize: large clusters of black, small beasts hang on the green shoots. But if you want to combat aphids successfully, you should detect the infestation earlier. Indicate an aphid infestation:
- Ants climb up and down the plant
- Shoots wither away
- the leaves are covered with a shiny secretion
Fight aphids on beans with home remedies
The use of chemicals is not only harmful to you, your vegetables and all the small animals living in your garden, it is also unnecessary in most cases when there is an aphid infestation. With a little patience and regular use of inexpensive home remedies, the problem can easily be gotten under control.
Water
In a very early stage, it may be sufficient to rinse plants infested with aphids vigorously or to immerse them completely in water. In any case, this measure is recommended to support the others.
soft soap
Mix some soft or curd soap with water about 1:10. Spray this greasy solution onto the affected plants several times a day.
Vinegar
Mix vinegar 1:10 with water and spray the mixture on the plants. Vinegar can be used well in combination with soft soap.
garlic
Garlic can be used against aphids in various ways: Garlic cloves next to the plant keep the aphids away. If there is an infestation, the plant can be wrapped with garlic leaves or you can boil chopped garlic cloves in water and spray the bean plants affected by aphids with the broth.
Ladybug
You probably don't have a few ladybugs (€29.00 on Amazon) up your sleeve, but you can order them online or in your garden center. The larvae, which are hardly ladybird-like, eat up to 100 aphids per day.
Tip
Some gardening sites on the Internet recommend using a tobacco decoction to combat aphids. Nicotine is a powerful neurotoxin and kills animals very efficiently. In the past it was even used as a pesticide. However, the plants also absorb the poison, so that it is then consumed by humans. Nicotine is therefore not a “natural home remedy” but a toxic pesticide that you should stay away from.
