Black flies on my runner beans

[eldestgirl]

All over the growing tips and underside of leaves. Have tried spraying mild soap solution but think may have got this wrong, only for greenflies? Does anyone have an eco friendly solution! Thanks!

I tried soapy water but the only eco thing that worked for me was physically wiping them all off I'm afraid. Let me know if you find another solution though!

I completely sympathise. My beans are absolutely covered too and also tried soapy water to no effect. I've now bought some ladybirds and lacewing larvae from The Green Gardener so fingers crossed these do the trick...

Ooh thank you, I'll try that screaminghabdabs.

Yes, I've had to wipe mine off and bloody yucky it is too. My mum told me she managed to kill all her burgeoning rose buds with some antibacterial washing up liquid recently so beware of that!

Try using a hose to wash them off....

I've had this problem every year, but this year tried planting nasturtiums with the beans...and so far the black fly are mainly on the nasturtiums!!!!

Also...everytime i find a ladybird in the garden...i take it up to my beans....

i've also noticed ants seem to 'eat' the blackfly... or is that my imagination????? I had blackfly on my sunflowers...and now ants...and the blackfly are gone?????

Hmm well I have just completed the painstaking task of transferring ladybird larvae to my runner bean leaves, and now it is raining so I hope they don't all get washed off.

Just thought I would say that I now have quite a few fatter looking ladybird larvae on my runner beans and although they have their work cut out for them (so many black flies) they seem to be making a go of it... Green gardener has special prices on at the mo too.
How are yours going habdabs?

My broad beans were totally covered in aphids but the ladybirds must have sniffed them out, and I did rehome any larvae that I found elsewhere. There isn't a single aphid left.
The other thing that is supposed to help is pinching out the growing tips as apparently this is the bit that they really go for. I did try this on a few and it didn't seem to make much difference...ladybirds are the way to go!