Runner bean flowers being eaten

[ChrisnChris]

Just as I say, something is taking off the flowers from my runner beans. There were stems covered with flowers & something is taking off the flowers & they are just lying on the ground.
The rate at which this is happening I won't have any beans this year.
This has happened before...well every year actually but not as bad as this year.
The beans are watered every day.
I don't fancy sitting there all day watching for whatever is doing this, any suggestions.

Thanks

[pies]

Are the flowers red?

[ChrisnChris]

Yes they are, have thought about the white flower variety to perhaps deter whatever it is.
Why, do you know what's doing this?

[pies]

Birds,its almost certainly birds

[ChrisnChris]

Ok I'll put this to the test, shroud the beans with netting for a few days & see if that makes a difference. I don't think it's birds though because some of the flower "cluters" are well inside the foliage & there isn't anywhere for a bird to get purchase whlst attacking the flowers & there's not enough room for it to hover.

[King Herald]

ChrisnChris said:

Ok I'll put this to the test, shroud the beans with netting for a few days & see if that makes a difference. I don't think it's birds though because some of the flower "cluters" are well inside the foliage & there isn't anywhere for a bird to get purchase whlst attacking the flowers & there's not enough room for it to hover.

Some humming birds are smaller than your thumb!



You did say you live in Brazil, yes?

[dickymint]

Could just be the hot weather we've had. Try spraying with water to help pollination and cooling. Wack another load in as there's still time for a late crop.

[SwanJack]

Its happened to ours as well, but only to flowers towards the bottom of the plants. My wife swears blind its the dog, which wouldn't surprise me.

[Goochie]

We had this last year and covering the plants with netting solved it. However, the bean plants grew rapidly into/through the netting making it near impossible to remove.

Apparently much better alternative is to get a load of old CDs (or a box of blank CDRs) and tie them so that they move in the breeze. They say the birds cant stand it and wont go near them. I think you'll have to carefully fix some horizontal bamboos to the existing verticals and tie them to those to give the discs space to move.

This year we've not had the problem because we went for a variety with white flowers!

Edited by Goochie on Sunday 12th July 23:07

[ChrisnChris]

Thanks for that Goochie, which variety of white flowered beans did yu use & what are the results, i.e. do you think they will crop ok?

Cheers

[pies]

I'm growing either "white lady" or "lady di",I can't remember which as I gave one pack to mother.Whichever I have is cropping well and are stringless with a great reluctance to set a seed in the pod

[ChrisnChris]

Thanks pies....I'll gve those a bash next year