Things You'll Need:
- Insecticidal sprays or soaps
- Floating row covers
- Old clay pot
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Step 1
Identify the Mexican bean beetle damage. The most damage occurs to the leaves of the bean family including lima beans and soybeans. Look for chew marks in the middle of the leaf. If the beetle isn't controlled, the leaf will be a skeleton in a matter of days or weeks, depending on how severe the infestation.
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Step 2
Buy appropriate pest control sprays or soaps. Many pest control sprays are on the market. Read the labels of several different sprays to find ones that control Mexican bean beetles. Some organic sprays and soaps exist. Spinosad is effective against Mexican bean beetles as well as NEEM oil spray.
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Step 3
Use a floating row cover to prevent adult Mexican bean beetles from laying eggs. A floating row cover is a piece of lightweight material that covers the beans while they are still small plants. This deters the Mexican bean beetle from laying eggs in the beans and devastating a new crop of green beans.
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Step 4
Invite birds into the green bean garden area. The beetles are favorites of birds such as the titmouse, cardinal and finch. Plant the green beans where these birds nest.
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Step 5
Build a toad house. Toads eat insects and are espcially fond of the Mexican bean beetle. You can build a toad house using an old clay pot. Carefully break one side of the clay pot to serve as the toad house opening. Turn the clay pot upside down and hope that a toad will use the pot for shelter.
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Step 6
Search for beetle resistant varieties when you shop around for bean seeds. Many commercially available soybeans are now resistant to this damaging pest. Ask a local horticulturist for names of resistant types of beans.
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Step 7
Clean up the leftover plants at the end of the season. The best way to get rid of the plants is to place the plants in a plastic bag and tie the bag tightly. The leftover beetles will die without oxygen and you can then dispose of the plants properly.
