What's eating my lincoln pea?

Lincoln peas (a classic shelling variety) face pea aphids, pea moth caterpillars inside pods, slugs on seedlings, and mice or birds extracting sown seeds. Pea weevil adults notch leaf margins in early spring. Pea aphid is the most damaging pest, rapidly colonizing shoot tips and weakening plants before pods fill.

Large pale-green colonies on growing tips, pod stalks, and stipules; honeydew, sooty mold, and shriveled peas Water jet to knock off colonies, insecticidal soap spray, release Aphidius ervi wasps; avoid high-nitrogen feeding that promotes soft growth

Larvae tunnel into pods and feed on developing peas; webbing and frass inside pod Pheromone traps to monitor flight; fine mesh netting from first flower; sow before late May or after late June to avoid peak egg-laying

U-shaped notches in leaf margins cut by adults in spring; larvae attack root nodules underground Healthy soil with good drainage, encourage fast early growth, apply pyrethrin as a last resort

Sown seeds dug up and eaten; seedling stems snipped at soil level Sow into guttering indoors and transplant, or protect seed rows with wire mesh cloches until established