[Benny130]

By far my favourite veg are runners and they have been struggling from day one. Just not doing anything. Now I have noticed an infestation of  Blackfly. I'm so annoyed!!

Anything I can do to save. I have some more plants a few cm high at the moment. Could I replace this late with them being so tiny? Could the others be saved??

[mumofstig]

They seem to be everywhere this year!
Either squash them with your fingers or spray with a little washing up liquid diluted  in water.

You'll have to keep doing it though.

[Bing]

they are everywhere this year!

they are even on weeds leaves

a year of blackfly!

a consequence of warm winter maybe

[Under The Hill]

someone on my allotment site used garlic with washing up liquid (in a spray) on her broad beans.  She also used a shop bought organic spray on a different section of beans.  She found that the garlic & washing up liquid spray worked best.  I have just gone down and sprayed my broad beans - so we shall see.  Also I am sure it is not too late to even plant some more runner beans.  I read in one of my books that a July sowing was fine and you would get beans into October.  I was planning on sowing some in the next week. 

[cadalot]

On the Hort channel on YouTube Shaun used 50:50 washing up liquid and vinegar - I have never heard of that combination before. I'm just hoping my poached egg plants attract an army of ladybirds, but I'm guessing they have lots to eat this year.

[ARPoet]

Nasturtiums will attract blackflys. although they are not in flower yet, they will become a mecca for the wee nasties in a few weeks.

[LottyLouis]

Interesting point AR. If nasturtiums attract blackfly - does this mean that the beasts will go to the nasturtiums and leave other stuff alone (!) - or are we just attracting the blackfly to our crops by having nasturtiums close by?   

[JayG]

There is nothing more confusing than trying to research which companion planting suggestions work, and why - I suppose it's partly due to the fact that there is no money to be made from it, so there has been very little proper research.

By growing nasturtiums you are providing a perfect breeding ground for blackfly so you will have thousands more as a result - OK they are probably more attractive to blackfly than beans, but sufficiently so to ensure your beans remain pest free? I'd take some convincing.

French Marigolds are one of the few companion plants whose deterrent effect can be scientifically proven - I grow them in my GH and have never seen any whitefly in there, which is as close to proof as I'm likely to get.

It is claimed by some that they also deter aphids, but also to not grow them alongside beans , although I haven't yet found an actual explanation for that.

[lettice]

French Marigolds are one of the few companion plants whose deterrent effect can be scientifically proven - I grow them in my GH and have never seen any whitefly in there, which is as close to proof as I'm likely to get.

It is claimed by some that they also deter aphids, but also to not grow them alongside beans , although I haven't yet found an actual explanation for that.

Never knew this about Marigolds.
I grow lots of these close to my beans (the bees love them), have a stage under my weather rain collector and its always full of marigolds. Easy plant to reseed. Rarely get blackfly on my braod beans and have not seen any this year. Maybe another trick of the many to deter them.
Have seen many on nasturtiums over the years, they do seem to attract blackfly, would avoid them in the garden.
Never ever seen blackfly on any of my runner beans in decades of growing them, but small deposits over the years on my broad beans and in one area they grow side by side.

[Hampshire Hog]

I have had black fly on my broad beans and they have also infested some nearby weeds.
Sprayed broad beans and removed weeds.
Hopefully they won't go anywhere else!! 😱😱😱😱😱

[Goneterseed]

On the Hort channel on YouTube Shaun used 50:50 washing up liquid and vinegar - I have never heard of that combination before. I'm just hoping my poached egg plants attract an army of ladybirds, but I'm guessing they have lots to eat this year.

I thought that Sean used that mixture to get rid of ants, not blackfly. Not sure that vinegar,  (acetic acid) would be good for the plants.

[cadalot]

On the Hort channel on YouTube Shaun used 50:50 washing up liquid and vinegar - I have never heard of that combination before. I'm just hoping my poached egg plants attract an army of ladybirds, but I'm guessing they have lots to eat this year.

I thought that Sean used that mixture to get rid of ants, not blackfly. Not sure that vinegar,  (acetic acid) would be good for the plants.

I will have to try and find that video and watch again, just done a Google search and have found 4 Parts Vinegar 1 part washing up liquid and 1 part salt makes a weed killer  so perhaps not good for the beans and perhaps he was talking about ants.

[lettice]

Really would not risk putting any vinegar on my veg plants. Have made mixes with vinegar for weed killer and it works well.

Looks like the vinegar 50:50 mix is for ants, that Sean video is here;

ZXFG-qRV6U8

[sunshineband]

It is indeed the year of the blackfly, and squashing or squirting them seems a daily job.

There don't seem to be quite as many ladybirds as usual, just a few gorging themselves. Anyone else found this?

[JayG]

Nope - went on an aphid-spotting safari in my garden yesterday and only found one small cluster of blackfly on the campanula (a favourite every year but not many so far this year.)

Spotted one ladybird - it looked a bit sad (and thin!)