Hey Cindy, I can relate to dealing with kudzu beetles. I am in N. Ga. and battled with them last year. I cut a gal. jug so that it had a large hole and would shake them into soapy water a couple times a day. I was able to get half of what I expected from my beans. I talked to one of my friends who said he planted a second crop of bean later and had very few beetles in that planting., This year I planted 3 times the beans. The only advice I have heard about chemical controls is not something I want in my garden. If you want to know what that chemical is you can find my old post here about kudzu beetles

Hey Hammerga!

Yeah, I had them too last year. I'm running late on planting this year - maybe that will be a blessing in disguise. Thanks for your reply - I'm pretty much organic - so you chemical probably exceeds my ability to deal too. I have tried Neem - it's only semi-effective. Basically, hand picking has been the only control that seems to help, but I am ever hopeful that someone has found a magical cure... Thank you!

I haven't had any dealings with these bugs, thank goodness. Have you tried sucking them up with a hand-held vacuum?

Hi Sweetquietplace!

I got one yesterday and it is charging as I type. I am hoping that might help....

Hey Cindy the beetles found my garden today. I saw and killed 10 of them. Neem oil did very little good for me also. I guess I need to buy me a vacuum too.

Hey Cindy..I noticed today that the beans I normally grow are the ones with the bug problems. I have found both kudzu and mexican bean beetles on those. I made a row of Royalty purple pod beans on the opposite side of my garden which have been bug free. Both are heirloom beans and planted about the same time. Most bugs are attracted by colors and it makes me wonder if these purple beans are a color that does not attract the beetles. I will know more as the season progresses.

Hi Hammerga!

I am so lucky to not have Mexican bean beetles... had those up north and they were terrible. We've been handpicking and vac'g bugs - that seems to have reduced the number.

The kudzu bugs don't seem to like bush beans so much here (and definitely don't like my Royalty bush beans either!) but they love Christmas limas and Gigandes - both are pole and the bugs will line up by the half dozen to dozen on one vine and node next to the trellis. They are very hard to pick or vac there.

Well I am new to the forum, but I have had GREAT advice here. My problem here (7) Is my leaves are turning an ugly color, and my plants seem to be slowing up.

I have been going out and spraying them with a homemade insecticide of chili , garlic and soap. Kills them on contact but they just come right back so annoying but beans are not dying in fact with this rain we just had beans are seven foot tall now.

We are still handpicking and vac'ing the kudzu bugs. And yes - the bean plants are nearly at the top of the trellis. One bit of good news - the kudzu bugs don't seem to like rattlesnake beans so much. But they are loving Christmas Limas, Gigandes, and now Red Hopi Limas...

I was having a problem with these as well. They were covering my lima beans about every other day. I tried sevin but as soon as it rained it washed off and the bugs were back. Finally in desperation I remembered my grandmother using bay leaves to ward off different bugs in the house. What could it hurt to try right? I crumbled up a leaf or two and put hem around the bottom ofthe beans. I have only had two bugs since. I know this probably isnt a good solution on a large scale but so far has worked great on small scale.

Cindy, Bayer has a synthetic insecticide for trees and bushes that will kill any bugs that eat on them. Just mix and pour around the base of tree/bush and that will take care of part of your Kudzu bug problem. The Kudzu bugs also love some shrubbery plants.

Let me know how the Gigandes and Red Hopi Limas do in your area. I plan on giving them a try this fall for seed production.

Luther

Luther, Bayer's website says its not safe for fruit trees, so I wouldn't think it is safe for anything edible?

I would love to find something safe for my fruit trees that I could use as a drench instead of spraying!

Hey Luther,

I tried some Pyrethrin on the kudzu bugs and it does seem to help. I got the organic stuff - very pricey, but you can spray, rinse and eat. But it does kill pollinators - so not a good choice if you can do anything else. I used it when we were covered with the kudzu bugs.

The Gigandes and Red Hopi Limas did great last year and the Gigandes seem to be a particular favorite of the kudzu bugs this year. They don't like Rattlesnake beans so much, but are also on the Hopis. The Gigandes are growing like mad - after yesterday's rain (again!) they are about 8 feet on the longest vines.... The Hopis are not so big yet, but they are flowering.

Pandora - the bay leaf is a great idea. I tried weaving some peppermint cuttings around the Xmas bean vines because it's supposed to discourage ants and other bugs. It worked for about two days and then they were back. I'll try some bay too. We've mostly hand-picked.

Wonder if you could make a tea out of some bay leaves and spray the bean vines with it. Maybe a combo bay/mint tea? Add a couple drops of Dawn for sticking. Might try it on my PVB.

Cindy, thanks for the info on the beans. I'm gonna give them a try in my fall garden.

Ted, it is a shame we can't use that insecticide on food crops as it does a good job on non edible plants.

Luther

I thought that I was doing well and gaining on the bugs killing them, until today. I was seeing small numbers for a couple days. Today the biggest wave ever arrived.. I swear I killed a quart of them this evening. I planted another row of bush beans a couple days ago thinking that I will likely lose this fight and they had not bothered bush beans. well they are on my purple bush beans today too. All I know to do is keep killing as many as I can every day.

Sorry to hear about the bugs Hammerga - ours seem to have been fewer this past week. They have not found the second planting of pole beans and they aren't interested in the bush beans - yet. Hope you win the war.

You could always plant some Kudzu as a trap crop. ;)

Just kidding!

Thanks Cindy for the reply.. it gives me hope that they will slow down eventually. I am getting some nice beans and putting a dent in the bugs. I hope something can be done so that is not going to be what to expect every year.

There's even fewer bugs this week. Hoping that this is the end of the swarm! For you too! They still have not found my other pole beans which are 40 feet away. But I did see some on the corn plants and cucumbers...

So, who sent them to my house? I had never seen one of these critters until after I read this thread this morning. Went out in search of mexican bean beetles and found dozens of these little kudzu bugs all over my christmas limas! they don't seem to like my malibu pole beans on the other side of the trellis, thank goodness. i hand picked and knocked as many into a bucket of soapy water as I could but they are hard to get to. most were wedged between the vines and wire they are running up. I will be vigilant from now on.

Sorry DixieGardener... We still have them, but fewer. I haven't had to spray and DH is patient about picking beetles while I pick cucumbers and beans...

The kudzu beetles have slacked off here also, since that last swarm. It has been a pain but on the bright side I have been on top of other bugs by closely checking the plants as often as I could. I believe I am going to get a decent crop of beans at this point.

Cindy, don't you dare sending that critter south. We have enough pest here. We always have to worry about that white fly coming up from the Caribbean area with all those diseases that wipe out our tomatoes and other vegetables.

Hope you have it under control. Sounds like you are getting plenty of vegetables My brother said it was also in his shrubbery bushes plus his garden. He lives in your area.

Good luck to you,
Luther