What's eating my edamame?

Edamame (Glycine max) attracts both insect pests and hungry animals. Japanese beetles, bean leaf beetles, and stink bugs are key insect threats. Deer and rabbits are notorious for grazing young plants and snipping pods — rabbits will sit in the patch eating out beans one by one. Row covers and fencing tackle both threats at once.

Adults skeletonise leaves by feeding between veins, leaving lacy foliage; worst in midsummer; larvae (grubs) damage roots in lawn nearby Hand-pick into soapy water in morning when sluggish; apply neem oil or pyrethrin; use row covers during peak emergence; avoid beetle bag traps near the crop

Piercing-sucking feeding on pods causes dimpled, discoloured, or shrivelled beans; damaged pods often abort Hand-pick or vacuum adults off plants; use kaolin clay during pod fill; seal garden perimeters and check undersides of leaves for egg masses

Large colonies on undersides of leaves and stem tips; stunted plants and distorted leaves; vectors soybean mosaic virus; yield losses exceed 50% in heavy years Monitor weekly; apply insecticidal soap or neem oil early; encourage parasitic wasps and ladybirds; avoid over-fertilising with nitrogen

Deer browse young foliage and pods; rabbits sit in the row and snip off pods, eating the beans and leaving empty shells behind Install at least a 4-ft wire fence (8-ft for deer); use row covers on seedlings; apply deer/rabbit repellent sprays around the plot perimeter