Infernal blackfy ruining my beans

Plant some flowers in between your crops and it attracts the aphid loving insects. Works a treat

I plant hundreds of nasturtiums from the seed of last years flowers...they are covered in the nasty blighters, but the beans behind are completely free of them.

I generally find they are the perfect all purpose companion - they get absolutely overrun with cattpillars and black fry, but the crop stays clean.

Excellent - thank you all for all the suggestions.  I will employ them all next year

I've Nasturtiums planted next to runners and broad and defo works for me too. seams blackfly have a sweet tooth, lol, 

As a general statement what ever harms the foe harms the friends too!

Quote from: rhysdad on July 05, 2010, 21:59

Does the soapy water approach kill the ladybirds? I've been spraying dilute Ecover and have noticed a couple of dead ones 

If you have ladybirds; they are probably there trying to eat the blackfly; if only you'd let them!

Most things that kill blackfly will also kill a whole range of other insects including the beneficial ones i.e. ladybirds 

Hoping that Nature will help keep the blackfly problem under control without the need to spray before the crop is ruined is tricky...

But I always keep a close eye on plants hoping they are strong enough to cope with insect attack and come out of the otherside (grow through it) even stronger. Some do.. it all depends upon the severity of the attack.

Spraying is a last chance all else fails remedy...