Like most garden vegetables, though, beans are not foolproof. An infestation of bean leaf beetles, Ceratoma trifucata, can decimate any type of bean crop so early intervention is essential.

Mexican bean beetles are plant-feeders in the same family as ladybird beetles (ladybugs)—most of which are beneficial predators. Adults overwinter and emerge with warm weather. Adults feed on tender ...

Japanese scientists have found that the bean bug, a major pest of soybean crops, swallows bacteria that break down an insecticide chemical. The bacteria allow it to continue munching on treated crops ...