[seaside]

Delighted with my first attempt at aquadulce Claudia over wintered broad beans. Excellent flowering and a very high percentage of setting beans. Tremendous in fact.
They have now stopped flowering. Regardless of the black fly thing , is it best to cut off the tops to let the plant put more effort into the beans ?
Also, I have Bunyards dwarf beans right next door to them and they have been flowering for 3 weeks, a good 5 weeks or more behind the aquadulce, but there has been a cross over of flowers. I intend to save some of the aquadulce seed for later in the year, so is it wise to leave the first few beans to mature fully for seed while picking the later beans for eating ? ie.... is there a danger of cross pollination while both strains were flowering at the same time ?

[grinling]

I don't think crosspollination is a problem unlike pumpkins. I would pick some of each and leave a few on each, but keep an eye on them drying out well.

[BabbyAnn]

Regardless of the black fly thing , is it best to cut off the tops to let the plant put more effort into the beans ?

sounds like a good plan to nip off the tops so that the energy can be directed to the developing bean rather than into new growth 

[Potty Plotty Lotty]

And don't throw away the tops-they are nice lightly fried.