They are everywhere. Munching away at my beans. Does anyone have any bright ideas for getting rid of these pesky buggers?
By far the best method [IMO] is pinching out the tops of the plants. So if you're black fly are 3" down the top of the plant then pinch out at least 4". I've done this the past two years and it's worked a treat.
What variety are they? I assume you're talking about the later ones [eg Bunyard or Longpod] and not the winter variety [Aquadulce - which tend to be a bit more black fly resistant as they crop earlier]. If you've got the winter variety then pinching out the tops is a good idea anyway, as all the beans grow at the bottom of the plant only, and you don't need any more superfluous growth at the top of the plant anyway.
Another favoured method is to spray the black fly soapy [fairy liquid often gets a mention] water. It's supposed to be effective, but I've never tried it.
