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Pole beans nipped about 4-6 inches from the ground #854902

Asked November 07, 2023, 6:44 PM EST

This is the second year I've had something come along and nip just a small bite from my pole beans about 4-6 inches from the ground. Whatever it is leaves everything below it uneaten, and everything above the nipped portion dies on my tee-pee support poles. I've tried adding extra fencing, and I used Milorganite around the plants to make them smell bad, but whatever it is once again destroyed my bean plants before I had gotten more than a few beans for the season. Do you have any idea what this is and what I could do differently next year? It doesn't seem to bother anything else in my garden--just the bean vines and, again, only a small nip of the vine, so I've been calling this pest an animal vandal because it destroys but doesn't seem to get much to eat in the process. Thank you for any help you can offer.

Hennepin County Minnesota

Expert Response

Sounds to me like rabbits. They are munching on the leaves and inadvertently bite through the stem.

I had the same problem with my pole beans! 

Did you happen to notice the bite? If the bite was at a 45-degree angle it was definitely a rabbit.
Paul W. U of M Extension Master Gardener Dakota County Replied November 07, 2023, 8:08 PM EST

Thank you for your speedy reply! I've already cleaned up my garden for winter, so I can't check the bite angle, but your idea definitely sounds plausible. We'll just have to do more with fencing to keep them out of that part of my garden. I'm just glad that it sounds like a rabbit and not a vole, mole, or insect that might be even harder to protect from. If I didn't love homegrown green beans so much, I'd probably give up. But even the farmer's market beans, which are usually picked when they're much larger than I let mine grow, aren't quite as good as those picked when they're tender and steamed right away for supper. Again, thanks for your help. It's so nice to be able to ask gardening experts who are right here in Minnesota...Karen


The Question Asker Replied November 08, 2023, 4:48 PM EST

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