I suppose the holes on the leaves really close to the ground could be slugs. You'd have to go out at night with a flashlight to see them. Another possibility, especially with the V shaped cuts/tears is birds. They will peck and tear at leaves after bugs.

Otherwise the odds are it is a beetle of some kind even though you haven't seen it yet.

But honestly the damage is minor and is no threat tot he plants so I wouldn't worry about it unless it suddenly became much worse.

Dave

The bean beatles we get in our area are copper colored.

-Terry

Here is a link that might be useful: Mexican bean beetle stages (pic)

This post was edited by terry_neoh on Thu, May 22, 14 at 16:27

That looks like slugs to me. The small slugs don't really have any problem getting to the top of the plants.

Just in case it is bean beetles, check the under side of the leaves for beebee to pea size yellow fuzzy larvae. Also, under the leaves, check for clusters of tiny yellow eggs (like potato bugs, but smaller).

-Terry

Here is a link that might be useful: Mexican bean beetle

Dave,
Thanks for the reply. I`ll try having a look at the plants after dark to see if it is slugs. I have seen them before eating away at my radishes and turnips in times past. Haven`t seen any beetles yet but that doesn`t mean that they haven`t been visiting me while I was away from the garden. That could be a possibility. The bird suggestion could be viable too. I see some occasionally hopping around in the beans.

Terry,
no signs of MBB and no yellow eggs under the foliage. I know MBB quite well. LOL! Seem to see them show up every year. I hate it when they do that. Those suckers have come to the "party" more than once. They usually show up later in the growing season though with regularity. Maybe it is slugs. A night time outing is going to happen in the near future.

This post was edited by hobbiest on Thu, May 22, 14 at 18:26

Just one last suggestion - small slugs (1/4" - 1/2") move slow so it takes time to up the plant, but they prefer tender new growth. If you are an early riser, check before dawn rather than early nighttime.
-Terry