Watch out for pea and bean seedling pests

"Pea and bean weevils have become very active in the last week, and peas and spring beans that have been slow to develop will be targeted over the next week or two," warns Becky Ward, PGRO senior technical officer. "Early treatment with a pyrethroid insecticide is recommended to disrupt egg laying and allow the seedlings to grow away. Some winter beans that have been developing slowly have also shown reasonably high levels of damage.

"There have been a few reports of thrips damage to peas particularly on the stony soil types. Early treatment with a pyrethroid insecticide is also recommended where peas are just emerging and thrips can be found within the enclosed shoots."

"Pigeons continue to be a problem and regular movement of scaring devices will be necessary to reduce the birds’ familiarity," she added.