Broad Bean Plant Insect Problems

Broad beans are also called fava beans.

Broad beans (Vicia faba) are commonly known as fava or faba beans. They are cold hardy to U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 8. Broad beans provide a tasty snack for both humans and insects.

Types

Broad beans present a challenge in the garden because of the sheer number of pests the plants can attract. Four different types of aphids, plus broad bean weevils, pose a threat, along with leaf miners, grasshoppers, cutworms, cucumber beetles, tiger moth larvae, thrips, wasps, leaf-footed bugs and stink bugs.

Effects

A report from the University of California Cooperative Extension reports bean weevils can be so devastating that crops are severely reduced. The University of Florida says aphids can transmit mosaic virus, causing leaf chlorosis, which stunts the growth of the plant.

Treatment

Both cultural and chemical means for controlling broad bean pests exist. Ladybird beetles and parasitic wasps eat aphids, and the University of California says diazinon and malathion pesticides may work as well, with some rotenone pesticides possibly effective against weevils.

References

• University of California Cooperative Extension: Fava Beans
• University of Florida: Insects That Feed on Faba Bean in Southern Florida
• Oregon State University: Oregon Cover Crops: Fava Bean