Oh my gosh! I just started seeing them on my pole beans too! I'm in southwestern Vermont and having seen them I haven't seen too much damage (cross my fingers). I don't have time to handpick and now they (I think it is these things) are laying shiny and VERY tiny eggs all over my mesh fencing. I don't even know how to control this. They're everywhere all of a sudden.

On top of it, I can't find any info on them as being a pole bean pest. So if you find something please post. I would like to learn their life cycle, what they are in general to prevent them in the future.. as I'm sure you do too.

Do you know if they've been eating your actual bean sprouts? I can't tell. I just feel like I should have WAY more beans that I can pick each day than I am picking.

Sorry you have to deal with them too--although it's good to know I'm not alone!

I just came in from picking. Didn't see any of these insects this time. I don't know if they eat the emerging beans or not. And I don't see any eggs. Maybe it's because my beans are growing on metal fencing (a bean arch).

I've been growing pole beans since 1975, and the only pests I've ever seen are Japanese beetles and the Mexican bean beetle. These newcomers are a mystery.

We can share our findings . . . if any.

Agreed... and I don't think they do a ton of damage.. but I am worried about the eggs they've laid EVERYWHERe. And we're not talking little clusters of like a dozen or so which you'd see with a squash bug or whatever. It's dozens plural. I usually burn eggs so I know they're totally done with. Since my fencing is this plastic stuff I don't know how I'm going to be assured they're dead.

Any ideas on that, let me know.

Anyway. hope

Okay, my second-to-last resort, using an actual book (A Field Guide to Insects) to get an ID, didn't work. So I engaged the big guns and posted the picture on the Insects Forum. Those guys are good! I'll let you know how they respond.

We have an ID:

It's one of the instars (life stages) of a green stinkbug nymph. I'll bet that you've seen some of the adults in the garden.

I haven't, but perhaps you have, TGF? Nymphs don't lay eggs, do they? Perhaps the adult stink bug is responsible. Nymphs don't stink either, apparently. I didn't notice any odor when I squashed them.

Yes, they're stinkbugs or shield bugs. They have a few stages that are black and green. When crushed they smell like green beans because they suck the juice out of the plants! They are all over my beans and corn this year, very invasive. I have very few beans on gorgeous vines. The few beans I get are dry and tasteless. Not a good year this year for beans.

I hope the bugs die out. I have been tapping them into a coffee can of soapy water twice a day. My plants have tons of flowers and beans. Hope to have a few beans everyday now.

Another response from the insect folks:

Yes, they're stinkbugs or shield bugs. They have a few stages that are black and green. When crushed they smell like green beans because they suck the juice out of the plants! They are all over my beans and corn this year, very invasive. I have very few beans on gorgeous vines. The few beans I get are dry and tasteless. Not a good year this year for beans.

I hope the bugs die out. I have been tapping them into a coffee can of soapy water twice a day. My plants have tons of flowers and beans. Hope to have a few beans everyday now.

I just realized what I did, Susan. That was stupid, even for me. LOL

I had great success controlling squash bugs by picking the eggs off the leaves and spraying the nympths and adults with a soap and water mixture (1 tbsp Dawn to one gallon of water). They die within a minute and the plants don't seem to suffer any ill effects.

Good to know, Wolverine, thanks! We grew a lot of squash this year, and I suspect the squash bugs will move in next season.

Okay, ID noted, thanks!

So stinkbugs huh? I haven't paid attention to their smells but I do notice the little tiny eggs all over my mesh fencing.

How would you get rid of the eggs if I can't burn them?

Salt, vinegar water? how much vinger how much salt? or what would work?

Man, They're everywhere.

If you've got ideas, let me know, I don't know whow long they've been there, but I just noticed them. There's gray eggs, shimmery brown/green eggs, and white eggs.

I will kill them all.

Just need to know how.