Well, at least you aren't trying to say that the ants are eating the aphids. I've seen far too much of that the last few weeks. LOL. Makes me cringe when I see it written out as solid advice no less. Anyway - a stream of water will knock them off - if they are green beans i'd suggest soap and water if they are shellies then you could go more drastic into a dust if you so dare. I prefer organic personally.

Not a green stink bug you saw? When small they can look a bit like a green ladybug - and then there are green beetles as well. Hopefully you'll get a picture sooner or later.

G/L!

In my opinion ants and even stinkbugs won't hurt your yard long beans. You have to get rid of the stinkbugs manually before you have an infestation in the garden. They are easy to grab with a wet paper towel and dispose quickly in a bag so there is no smell.
How are the yard long planted? because one of the main reasons that they decline would be nematode problems.
When they started to decline? did you get a good harvest already? when they were planted?

Here are my red noodle yard long beans producing heavy every day.

Silvia

"a stream of water will knock them off - if they are green beans i'd suggest soap and water if they are shellies then you could go more drastic into a dust if you so dare. I prefer organic personally.

I've been using a water hose and also a soap and water spray to knock the aphids off, or kill them. But within an hour, the ants have brought some back or found new ones somewhere and brought those. I'm afraid that if I keep the plants wet all day long, I'll cause diseases to develop.

"You have to get rid of the stinkbugs manually before you have an infestation in the garden. They are easy to grab with a wet paper towel and dispose quickly in a bag so there is no smell."

I'll do that the next time I see them. I think they are stick bugs.

"How are the yard long planted? because one of the main reasons that they decline would be nematode problems."

They're growing on a bean tower in regular garden sand. I haven't noticed any general decline. Just at the ends of the vines where the aphids have been.

"did you get a good harvest already?"

I planted 2 plants each of three different kinds. I got four beans about two weeks ago. Other plants started to bloom several days ago. That's when the ants, aphids, and stink bugs? arrived.

"when they were planted?"

Mid May

Yard long beans are very productive, planted in mid May you should have full production already.

To avoid nematode problems in a bed that I had pole beans before, I used the Pantera bowls that Tom gave me and I planted them there. By now the roots are growing in the raised bed but they had a good start in the bowls.

I just took this picture

Silvia

Here's a photo of the bugs that need ID. You can also see one of my aphid farming ants in the upper left of the first picture.

Normally I just lurk but I can tell you a little about your ant/aphid problem. After battling them for two seasons we discovered this...

Ants and aphids have a very symbiotic relationship. Aphids have little "tail pipes" on their rear ends and produce something called Honeydew. This is a food source for the ants. The ants will actually carry the aphids to new parts of the plant, providing more food for the aphids and a better opportunity to reproduce. More aphids = more food for the ants = more ants.

As fascinating as this type of thing is, I wish they'd perform this fascinating act someplace other than our Purplehull Pinkeyes. We lost an entire crop before we could get them under control. :(

I use 'Tanglefoot'. Follow instructions and it works great.
It makes a barrier the ants cannot pass.

Lou

I think that you have the green stink bug, they come in other colors and we have to get rid of them.-(

Silvia

Here is a link that might be useful: green stink bug

SeednSprouts - how did you get them under control? I'm having the same problem with my purple hull cowpeas in middle GA. I did discover that the ants and aphids prefer the purple hulls to the black eyed peas - but they're still on both plants.

Thanks!
Cindy

I took one of mine to the master gardener and he couldn't positively ID it. Then today, I found two by the house that looked as if they might be adults of the ones I've found on my bean plants. These looked very much like the stink bug photos. Just to be sure, I squashed one of the juveniles(?) and one of the adults(?). Neither one smelled in the least. I'm wondering whether there's another bug who's developed to look like a stink bug so that nothing will eat it, but it's actually something else entirely.

Cindy, the only time we have any significant ants in the garden is when we have the aphids. We've been able to knock the aphids back by using Neem. Doesn't get rid of them altogether but keeps that at bay enough where we can harvest something. And like you, it's only on the Purplehull's even though the Blackeyes are planted right next to them along the trellis. I mentioned your situation to DH the other night and I had wondered if they might be attracted to the color but they show up when the pods are still green so that's not it. We're not planting any Cowpeas this fall because I'm tired of the aphids. :/

TimeTraveler - I'm just over the bridge from you and I think I've seen those green bugs in our garden as well. I just thought they were juvenile Stink Bugs. We have nothing out there right now but two small pepper plants so I'll have to keep my eye out next season and hopefully it will be identified by then.

Thank you SeednSprouts! I hate the aphids with a passion. And the ants. I did try the Neem on the aphids on the cowpeas - it does seem to knock them back temporarily - thanks for that. I think the worst thing I have ever grown with ants and aphids is the hucklberries I tried this year. Neem didn't make any difference, neither did blasts of water.

I use 'Tanglefoot'. Follow instructions and it works great.
It makes a barrier the ants cannot pass.

Lou

Must be all that foot stomping...
It would keep me away too... :-)

Larry

Here is a link that might be useful: Tanglefoot