How to identify and manage pea and bean weevil

UK seasonality and monitoring

Pea and bean weevils are often most noticeable in spring during warm, settled weather.

During this period inspect Peas, broad beans and French or runner beans, concentrating on the crop stage and plant parts described above. Note when and where fresh injury appears; old feeding marks can remain after the pest has moved on.

Crops and plants affected

The recorded hosts are Peas, broad beans and French or runner beans. This list identifies plants worth checking; it does not mean every crop is equally vulnerable. Start with the listed plants and inspect the tissue where this pest feeds.

Check affected crops for these signs: Distinctive U shaped notches, usually on young leaves. Match the symptom to a live pest, larva, egg or characteristic feeding sign before deciding that treatment is needed.

Damage and likely consequences

Distinctive U shaped notches, usually on young leaves. A small amount of old damage on a vigorous plant may be cosmetic. Continued feeding on roots, seedlings, growing points or edible parts can reduce establishment or yield.

On Peas, broad beans and French or runner beans, judge severity by checking whether injury is fresh and spreading, whether the plant is still growing, and whether the edible part is affected. Avoid removing a crop based on one ambiguous mark.

Prevention

Encourage even establishment of peas and beans and inspect leaf margins during the first growth flush.

Control and integrated management

Judge notching alongside plant vigour; established plants commonly continue to crop despite damaged leaf edges.

Natural predators and wildlife-conscious choices

Damage is often cosmetic once plants are established, so monitor before intervening.

For pea and bean weevil on Peas, broad beans and French or runner beans, use a barrier or hand removal only where it fits the crop and life stage. Keep any cover taut, inspect it for trapped wildlife, and remove it when protection is no longer needed.

Long-term management

Monitor the next sowing at the seedling stage, but avoid routine intervention if plants remain vigorous.

For pea and bean weevil on Peas, broad beans and French or runner beans, record the bed, crop stage and date when fresh damage first appears. Those notes help time protection and monitoring before the same crop stage is vulnerable next season.

Common mistakes

A symptom alone is not a diagnosis. Adults are small, dark, oval beetles and feed along leaf margins, leaving repeated U-shaped notches. The feeding often looks severe on young plants but usually does not prevent established peas or beans from cropping. Look for a matching live pest or fresh feeding sign before intervening.

Leaf-edge notches do not by themselves show that pods or the harvest will be lost.

If damage continues

Recheck Peas, broad beans and French or runner beans where new injury is appearing, including the hidden feeding site: roots, folded leaves, leaf undersides, flowers or fruit as appropriate. If identification remains uncertain, photograph a live specimen alongside the damage and ask an allotment association or horticultural adviser.

If the recommended control (Hand pick or shake adults onto a sheet; protect young plants with mesh where pressure is high.) has not helped, confirm that it was fitted or applied at the right crop stage and that fresh damage is still occurring. Old marks do not heal when the pest has gone.

Frequently asked questions