Yes, snails eat leaves. So do caterpillars. Go out about 10 or 11 PM and look.

I heard of some methods to deter snails (egglshells, cloche etc.), but not caterpillars. Are there any simple ways to keep them out of my container or off my plants? I have a tomato plant mulched with pine needles right next to the beans and they haven't been touched. You think some of that same mulch will benefit my beans? It's really time to thin the seedlings as well, I'm just worried the cuts will attract more pests.

Do you have any yellow beetles on your plants. They normally have stripes. If so they are probably what is eating your beans.

I have some similar damage from spotted cucumber beetles. each stage of life of this pest feed on your plants. There are lots of ways to control this pest. Ladybugs, mantids, green lacewings, and Neem to name a few organic controls.

I would check your plants at night to find out what the most likely culprit is. It can be very informative.

Thanks for the advice. Didn't find anything the other night but I'll keep looking. Good news is no further damage for today. Just to make sure, the beetles come out at night as well?

That looks to me more like what a cutter bee would do.

Leafcutter bees make perfectly round holes, either full or partial circles. They tend to prefer rose leaves.

applebuilder, my guess it could be snails or some kind of leaf eating worm. Snails you can use Sluggo, just sprinkle it on the ground and it's very effective. For leaf eating worms, I use BT Worm Killer from Green Light Co. Any worm that takes a bite of your plants will be sentenced to death. :)

My tomatoes, beans, squash, and cucumbers are virtually gone thanks to some critter. I have found no tracks or traces (bunny poop). I checked at night and saw no signs of worms, snails, or other insects. Whatever it is has done significant damage. I've gone from about 100 bean plants down to a half dozen. Strange thing too is I had string between stakes for the pole beans to climb and something broke (or gnawed through) three of the lowest strands of string. My giant garden is almost gone.

Shenvalley, could be racoon, rat, posom? Maybe, armadillo if you live in armadillo country. What a loss for you. That black plastic netting surrounding your beds may deter other critters. They know they can get horribly tangled up in it. Keeps my chickens out.