dishsoap for bugs chewing green beans

Has anyone had success with the dishsoap recipes for spraying on bean leaves? Every year my beans get chewed on when they are barely out of the ground. I have used a chemical spray before, but would like to get away from using chemicals. Thanks

You might consider trying insecticidal soap instead, it's organic and since it was actually designed for killing insects you know you're getting it at the correct concentration to work, which you're not guaranteed with dish soap. And assuming you get one with the OMRI seal on it, you can feel better about using it in an organic garden versus dish soap which has who knows what other ingredients, fragrances, etc in it which weren't designed to be used on plants or OK'd by OMRI.

Ecrane - Do you have a brand that you can recommend?

I use Safer and Garden Safe, those are both readily available here. But they're all pretty similar so as long as it doesn't have something in there besides the soap any brand you can find near you should be fine (there is one from one of the brands I buy that has natural pyrethrins mixed in, I stay away from that one, even though it's still organic the pyrethrins have a much broader acting effect and kills more good bugs than the soap does)

I wonder if you could use the Dr. Bronners stuff. I've used it for a body wash, in the washing machine, for dishes, etc. It's pretty pure.

I've heard of people using it. Again though you have a couple issues. First there's concentration--you aren't guaranteed to get the right amount to kill the things you want to kill without hurting the plant (commercial insecticidal soaps have already figured this out for you). Also, if you're growing produce for sale and want to call it organic, personal care/cleaning products aren't reviewed and blessed by OMRI, so again you'd be better off buying an insecticidal soap. At least with Dr. Bronner's I don't think there's a bunch of fragrances and other junk that you don't want on your plants as there would be with dish soap.

Thanks guys. I found out what is eating my beans. Slugs. I have found them in the evening and early morning. I have been taking them off the plants morning and night. They all look like babies. Not any large ones.

Ercane3: Only thing I want is to keep the bad insects off my garden as organically as possible, without killing myself in the process. I won't be selling my stuff - it's just for my husband, my wonderful new neighbors and a couple friends. *grin* However, you have a very good point about the killing. Looks like it's experimentation times.

DigMontana: Isnt' there a slug cure where you put out a bowl of beer and they will go to the beer, rather than your foliage, and drown/melt in it? I read about that somewhere, and all I can think of is that you would want to use something nasty, and not Guinness or other good beer.