While the sun paid another scorching visit this past Independence Day, while occasional exploding fireworks could be heard in the distance, and while the majority of American citizens were busy relaxing on a recognized holiday, I was consumed with the task of counting. Actually, the task involved was more important than merely counting for the business of squashing Mexican bean beetles was the focus.
Ah, Mexican bean beetles, those non-indigenous creatures that love to devour bean plants of any kind. What a pain in the… I guess bean plant leaves. For those unfamiliar with said despicable, vile, disgusting creatures, the adults somewhat resemble lady bugs but range from yellow with dark brown spots when first becoming adults to a darker brown with dark spots once fully mature. Mind you, age is of no difference for squishing practices. Fully grown, adolescent of infant, it makes no difference. All get squished on sight regardless, but I will get back to that.
The younger Mexican bean beetles, that is, in their larva stage are bright yellow with yellow points sticking out of their bodies, sort of like porcupine’s quills, but fear not, those points are harmless when squishing, but I will get back to that. These buggers, or more commonly referred to as bugs, for the most part devour bean leaves from the underside of the leaf. An adult will lay eggs on the underside of a leaf, often more than fifty at a time, then, when they hatch, they immediately devour the terrain on which they were born. (It does seem odd to me to be born upside down, then eat and live upside down for most of one’s life. Obviously, their blood must not rush to their head in such a situation, for that would not be possible. But then again, blood doesn’t gush out when they are squished, but yellow goo, or beetle juice. But I will get back to that.)
A farmer aware of the damage that Mexican bean beetles do, can quickly diagnose an infested area without having seen even one of those despicable, vile, disgusting creatures. The tops of bean leaves will be skeletonized, or, instead of dark green healthy growth, the leaves will appear splotched at first with almost opaque leaves, then dry out to dark brown significant damage. Once the damage is viewed, a quick inspection of the underside of the leaf will often reveal the culprit, that despicable, vile, disgusting creature known as a Mexican bean beetle. And if a farmer is lucky enough to experience a year like the current one, MANY Mexican bean beetles will be revealed on a single leaf, AND in multiple stages of growth, that is, multiple generations at the same time, but allow me to explain.
The Mexican bean beetle originated in Mexico, which is somewhat surprising to understand, or perhaps not. Anyway, when beans were shipped into the cooler regions of the U.S., some Mexican bean beetles travelled for the ride. And it seems they found the “land of milk and honey” so often referred to. Admittedly, milk and honey are not what they are after, but nonetheless, they discovered an incredible breeding ground. In their native environment, parasitic wasps will often keep their numbers in check, feasting on the prey so that they do not get out of control. This is a typical evolutionary trait whereby all creatures continue to exist, along with the plant so desired.
Coming from the mid-Atlantic mid-Maryland perspective, there was an utopian aspect not understood by the original Mexican bean beetles that boarded the bean shipment destined for the region. It is very common for the mid-Atlantic mid-Maryland region to experience deep frosts. Anyone who lives in the region can attest to that. What was not known by those Mexican bean beetle pioneers was that they can survive that deep frost, and be ready to procreate in the ensuing season. What they also were not aware of was that the parasitic wasps, their age old nemesis, cannot survive the deep frost. So, it is something, albeit quite a stretch, like the American colonists landing on this continent with the constant pressure of a repressive regime relentlessly bothering their efforts, only to find out that the English redcoats can’t survive the cold winters! Hurrah!
As a result, Mexican bean beetles are a yearly problem with which to deal. This year, 2010, there was an added element to those despicable, vile, disgusting creatures’ attack. And what was that? Why, for some reason, as still yet not understood by my naïve farming intellect, the perennials came in two weeks early. Asparagus sprouted in early April, strawberries ripened in mid-May, and, all of those rapacious insects that love to devour organic produce appeared two weeks early as well.
I will pause here to explain that beans are seeded on the farm in early May. Beans are a low maintenance crop for the most part, so it is not uncommon to watch their growth from afar, and going by historical example, look for beans to harvest in late June/early July. Like every other year, that was my approach. What I witnessed on my first harvest this year was devastating however. The majority of leaves on the bean rows were already significantly damaged by those despicable, vile, disgusting Mexican bean beetles. When the underside of the leaves were examined, there were as many as three generations of the beasts devouring the same leaves! It was an attack of plague proportions! Not only did I discover batches of eggs, which are to be expected, but also small newly hatched larva, also to be expected, as well as full grown larva, which was an unfortunate surprise, AND, the final pupa stage was also witnessed, meaning there would be a multitude of adults soon appearing to start laying the next round of infiltrators! EGAD!!!
So it was on Independence Day that I set off with one intention in mind, that of creating as much beetle juice as possible, more specifically Mexican bean beetle juice. (I will pause here for my conventional farming friends to say that, yes, I am aware, that that wonderful carcinogenic powder known as Sevin does an amazing job killing those bugs, but, I am, well, stupid when it comes to that!) So I took on the first 50 foot row of beans. As a habit that developed during the decade I spent bartending counting the pour of liquor, I counted all of those despicable, vile, disgusting creatures that I squished. (Again I will pause here for those who may also attempt such carnage. PLEASE REMEMBER TO SQUISH DIRECTIONALLY!!! It is very disconcerting when that yellow beetle juice ends up on your face and mouth!) To continue, I counted. One leaf turned over, one squished beetle. Another leaf and four more squished beetles. Another leaf and a litter of eggs… without counting, for there are almost always over fifty, fifty more squished beetles! By the end of that 50 foot row of beans, 764 Mexican bean beetles were no more. Adieu, foul beasts, adieu.
But that was the first row. By the second row, I had grown tired. Half way down the row, I decided to be less meticulous in my search and destroy mission and merely aimed for exterminating 500 of the beasts. Mission accomplished, and pretty much at the end of the row. The next day I took on the third row haphazardly and killed 220 something.
So that was my wonderful July 4th undertaking. I probably pressed a pint of that beetle juice, but much like fish stories, that is a bit exaggerated. Mexican bean beetles are a yearly pest for sure. The key to their infiltration is to not let them get out of hand, which is a terrible metaphor for what they do. More accurately, the key would be not to let them devour the bean crop. Anyway, once the initial attack is contained, there are multiple indigenous predators that love to devour those despicable, vile, disgusting beasts. Just today, I witnessed a platoon of young damsel bugs on a pie pumpkin leaf. The cavalry has arrived!