Black Fly Attacking My Broad Beans

[Gary]

Hi Charles,

There are loads of black fly attacking / nesting on my broad beans. There are quite a few lady birds eating their way through them but should I spray them? And if so what would you suggest? And would a fleece help in future?

Thanks,
Gary

[charles]

Its a bad year for blackly Gary, I keep pinching off a few stem-tops. Plants are stressed from lack of moisture and the aphids love that, watering is best remedy if you have enough. I do not spray but hear that soapy water helps, though often I think does not get rid of them.
Fleecing beans, almost impossible, too tall and the fleece would soon have a hole in.

[Gary]

Yes, they’re very dry. I’ll water them again.

Thanks Charles.

[Daisy]

Hello,
Black fly have also attacked my broad beans – I just couldn’t water them enough being on an allotment (no hosepipes), so have to be philosophical. I still managed a good enough crop.

But my question is, can I put the spent bean plants, with their black fly on, into the compost? And should i leave the roots in the soil to die back there (thus providing nitrogen??) or dig them up and put into compost heap. Or just compost the roots but destroy the black fly covered plants?

thanks so much,

Daisy

[charles]

Yes you can compost all the debris. Aphid populations in spring are governed by weather, soil conditions and plant health, as we discovered this spring (for example I saw loads of blackfly this year but none last year). Its not a question of resident populations, even if they survived composting!
Also leave the roots in for sure, that is brilliant for soil organisms to feed on and leaves a little nitrogen.

[Author]

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