Question

I have been told by far better gardeners than me that a pest infestation reflects an unbalanced ecosystem (I would argue to be completely expected in a new garden) is it possible to just let them go and wait for them to attract benficials that will take care of the problem for you? While you might get a lousy bean crop this year, next will be much better. I sacrificed some Raspberries to sawfly in this way last year and this years plants are loaded with blossoms. This year it was flea beetles and the chinese greens. Good luck. There's nothing more frustrating than having to sure with little black creepy crawlies!

I make a deterrent spray of 1 Tbs Tabasco sauce and 1 tsp all natural dish soap to 32 ounces of water and spray my pest prone plants every 3 or 4 days to prevent damage by pests. It has worked pretty well so far this year!

Could they be flea beetles? They are black, tiny and jump like fleas. Many very small, round holes would appear on the leaves. If the leaves look O.K., you might try hosing them off with a stream of water. I like SunnyBlooms recipe for insecticidal soap. You could try this until you seem to have tipped the balance in favor of the beans. They are usually vigorous plants that once established, produce well, even if there are a few holes in the leaves. French marigolds attract beneficial insects and discourage nematodes. Good luck!

It is hard to tell from the picture, but they look like aphids to me. I have them on a few of my bean plants, but i generally just ignore them, or hose them off if it . They arrive with wings, then reproduce.... the ones without wings can simply be hosed off, and if there are a lot of them they generally attract something that eats them.