Bean leaves being eaten.

[grannyjanny]

I visited a friend today & she showed me her runner bean plants. They had been eaten & just a stalk was left. It's never happened before. Is there a problem this year?

[grannyjanny]

[RenishawPhil]

Yup they are called slugs.

They have had a right go at a few spud plants until put slug pellets down and had about 6 dead ones . Yuck

[grannyjanny]

She doesn't think it's slugs as there aren't any slime trails.

[davyw1]

Voles are very good at doing that, everything gone but the stalk.

[Gordonmull]

Could be caterpillars. I've noticed quite a prolific amount this year, of the dark brown variety AKA cutworm. If the veins are in place still but the tissue in between has been eaten, I'd say caterpillars. Slugs just scoff the lot.

[Digeroo]

I would say slugs and would suggest slug pellets and/or plastic bottle cloches over the top at night.   

Or perhaps a little plastic pot with a hole with the pellets inside.  Who was it that told me about that?

[grannyjanny]

Wouldn't there be slime trails if it were slugs, no visible signs of anything. She asked at a GC what it might be & was sold a provado spray .

Good tip Digeroo, I'll pass it on to her just in case.