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Organic bean leaf beetle management

Kathleen Delate (June, 2002)

Summary

Bean leaf beetles are one of the few insect pests lacking any natural enemies on organic farms in the Midwest. Because the bean leaf beetle is associated with bean pod mottle virus and fungi that stain the soybean seed coat, many soybean seeds have been rejected from the premium tofu/soymilk market since 1997. The multiple tactics organic farmers use for bean leaf beetle management are discussed in this article.