Armyworms will do that, as well as bean and other beetles, but you should be able to see armyworms during the day. Neem oil controls them, if that's the problem.

The culprit could also be Japanese beetles: Japanese beetles are easily distinguished by their shiny, metallic green bodies and copper-brown wings. The equally destructive grub is grayish white with a dark brown head. The adult feeds primarily on leaf tissue between the veins, leaving the foliage and flowers of infested plants skeletonized. Its favored foods include asparagus, beans (lima and snap), okra, peaches, raspberries, rhubarb, and leaves and silks of sweet corn. The grub chews on plant roots, and is particularly fond of those pertaining to lawn grasses, beans, sweet corn and tomatoes; it also may nibble on onions or potatoes. The best control for the beetle is to set up commercially available pheromone traps a week before expected emergence in your area; make sure that traps are no closer than 50 feet from vulnerable crops and are hung 5 feet off the ground. Handpick any stragglers, or use pyrethrum if traps cannot handle the infestation. Control grubs with juvenile stage nematodes or with milky spore (Bacillus popilliae), bearing in mind that the latter control will take a few years to be fully effective.

Keep looking. The possible culprits will certainly be visible sooner or later and you can deal with them when you know what they are.

I have similar problems with my beans/pole beans.
I suspect some of mine are eaten by rats. Some that are partially eaten (different location) by some flies. In your case, snails and similar night crawlers could be also suspects. Go out at night with a flash ligt and look for suspects. Rats also dig here and nthere.

Rats also have the habit of eating seedings of beans, peas, corns, sunflowers. These are the things that they like their seeds also. So I guess these grains' stems and leave have the same taste for them.

Lt us know what you find out. Lets fight them together.

Cyrus

I have seen earwigs do the same to beans. Even on the tops of scarlet runner beans, over 6 feet high, they would climb and strip the tender young leaves. This spring, I have had some damage on potato leaves from them.

Earwigs like to hide in cool shady places (under rocks, boards or under patio stones etc) and come out and do their damage at night. If I was you, I would look around the immediate area for a good earwig hiding place and/or check after dark with a flashlight and to see if they are eating at your plants.

One possible culprit could be the dreaded Flea Beetle! they do there nasty work and poof no sign of em to be found unless you get lucky and find them doing the dastardly deed!

Try looking for the culprits at all times of the day. Start in the very early morning just as the sun is rising. Check again mid morning, noon, mid afternoon, and then in the evening as the sun is setting. Different insects are active at different times of day.

Jon

E A R W I G S !!!

Very interesting, bobb_grow

I was suspecting rats. But I put out lots of rat bait , they were not touched but my peas were eaten more. Then I was suspecting slugs or snails.Kept looking under rocks,.. in the shade near garden. could not find any.
Now I add EARWIGS to my list. I have gathered info on how to trap and/or keep them away. But first I will try trap method, to make sure that Theyem Dayyam Buggers(hehe) are the culprit.
Then I should continue trapping them more... more , then try to repell them.I have got some ground bay leaves for that.

Earwig trap:
Take newspaper, wet it, roll it up and put it on the ground near the target plants. At mid-day, go out to the garden, twist the ends shut on the newspaper rolls and carry them out of the garden. The Earwigs are hiding inside. You can then dump them out into a can that is 10% vinegar OR burn the papers OR bury the papers OR Riverdance on them. I've also put boards on the ground around the plants, and then checked underneath during the hot times of the day...but you gotta be quick to squish them. The paper tube method works and you don't have to catch them.

Thanks for all your help.

I must say that earwigs seems to be the most likely choice, since 1. I have seen them within a few feet of the area, 2. there is a cool darker place very close by (under the front porch and 3. has been damp recently.
Sharper eyes than mine (my teenagers) have been checking the plants for the past couple of days, but have seen nothing.
I'm going to try the newspaper earwig removal process first, but I'm heading to the store in a few minutes to get some Neem.
I'll let you know what happens!

I have had earwigs eat marigolds down to the stem! Nasty bugs. Newpaper roll is a good idea. I like the "riverdance" idea the best! Ha.