Pest identification
What's eating my mortgage lifter bean?
Mexican Bean Beetle
Signs: Adults and skeletonizing larvae scrape leaf tissue from the underside, leaving a lacy appearance; plants may defoliate rapidly.
Control: Hand-pick egg clusters (yellow, oval, on leaf undersides); use row covers until flowering; apply neem oil or spinosad spray.
Aphids (Black Bean Aphid)
Signs: Dense colonies on shoot tips and pods cause distorted growth, honeydew, and sooty mould; reduces yield.
Control: Spray insecticidal soap or neem oil; encourage ladybirds and parasitic wasps; pinch out and dispose of heavily infested tips.
Slugs & Snails
Signs: Irregular holes in seedling leaves at ground level; slime trails on soil and lower foliage.
Control: Set beer traps; scatter iron phosphate pellets; avoid overwatering; hand-pick at dusk during wet periods.
Rabbits
Signs: Clean-cut stems at ground level on young transplants; entire seedlings removed overnight, especially at plot edges.
Control: Install a low chicken-wire fence (60 cm / 2 ft, buried 10 cm below soil); repellent sprays as a secondary measure.
Keep mortgage lifter bean pest-free
Healthy plants resist pests best. Get the basics right:
Mortgage Lifter Bean pests — FAQ
What is eating my mortgage lifter bean?
Note: 'Mortgage Lifter' is a tomato variety; 'Dragon Tongue' is a separate wax bean — this entry covers Dragon Tongue bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). Mexican bean beetles, aphids, and slugs are the main threats, with rabbits and deer browsing young plants. Bean beetles can defoliate entire rows; row covers at transplanting time offer the best early protection.
How do I get rid of mexican bean beetle on mortgage lifter bean?
Adults and skeletonizing larvae scrape leaf tissue from the underside, leaving a lacy appearance; plants may defoliate rapidly. Hand-pick egg clusters (yellow, oval, on leaf undersides); use row covers until flowering; apply neem oil or spinosad spray.
How do I get rid of aphids (black bean aphid) on mortgage lifter bean?
Dense colonies on shoot tips and pods cause distorted growth, honeydew, and sooty mould; reduces yield. Spray insecticidal soap or neem oil; encourage ladybirds and parasitic wasps; pinch out and dispose of heavily infested tips.
How do I get rid of slugs & snails on mortgage lifter bean?
Irregular holes in seedling leaves at ground level; slime trails on soil and lower foliage. Set beer traps; scatter iron phosphate pellets; avoid overwatering; hand-pick at dusk during wet periods.
How do I get rid of rabbits on mortgage lifter bean?
Clean-cut stems at ground level on young transplants; entire seedlings removed overnight, especially at plot edges. Install a low chicken-wire fence (60 cm / 2 ft, buried 10 cm below soil); repellent sprays as a secondary measure.