Stephen, the reason I ask about the Lima beans is Limas will repel Colorado Potato beatles as well as Flea beatles.
Several years ago I was having a problem with Colorado Potato beatles eating my eggplant. I don't use insecticides so I was looking for another solution. I found one reference to Lima beans controlling Potato beatles on eggplant. That was all the information. Nothing about variety of beans, spacing, how it works or anything else.
So the next year I interplanted my eggplant with Fordhook Lima beans.
I' m not recommending this source, just want you to see what I'm talking about.
http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/bea...=AFF&omn2pd=bz
They should be available at your local co-op or any feed and seed store at a much cheaper price.
I planted the row of eggplant in the center of a 4' bed with 3 foot spacing between plants and planted a row of lima beans on both sides of the eggplant about a foot away with hills of 2 limas every 10 inches.
I also planted another 8 eggplant on the next row over (about 8' from the other row of eggplant) without any limas.
The eggplant were transplanted at the same time as the limas were planted.
Flea beatles started shotgunning the eggplant the same day they were set out. I sprayed them with Garlic, Hot Pepper, and Sage tea and it stopped them. I also sprayed the ground where the limas were planted. The tea masks the odor of the seeds so birds and racoons won't dig them up.
About the same time the limas broke through the soil, the potato beatles arrived and started eating the eggplant and laying eggs.
I use a tablespoon of molasses per gallon with my teas to act as a sticker and a tablespoon of Palmolive Orange dishwashing liquid per gallon to act as a spreader and contact poison for insects.
The tea had no effect on the potato beatles or their nymphs, so I put on the blue disposable gloves and squashed the beatles, nymphs, and eggs by hand every day.
When the limas got about 8" high the adult Potato beatles disappeared. The limas did work. By repelling the adult beatles they didn't lay their eggs on the plants. They also repelled the Flea beatles.
But it also repelled the beatles from the eggplant which were planted 8' away without limas planted next to them.
I figured it must have something to do with the odor of the limas, so when I picked and shelled the limas, I made a tea from the hulls (boil 1 gallon of hulls in 3 gallons of water for 15 minutes, stain, store in 2 litre bottles until needed).
The next year I planted 2 rows of limas 8' on either side of my row of eggplant and sprayed the lima bean hull tea on the eggplant when I transplanted them. No Flea beatle problems. I sprayed again on 2 week intervals to protect new growth.
When the limas were 8" tall, I stopped spraying and the limas continued to repel the Colorado Potato beatles and Flea beatles. The Lima bean hull tea worked just like the bean vines.
The only problem I had with Colorado Potato beatle was on a row of Sophie's Choice tomatoes about 30' away from the limas. I squashed them and sprayed with the tea and that solved the problem.
You don't have to grow the limas yourself to get the tea. A lot of the feed and seed stores have pea and bean shellers. They charge about $3.00 per bushel to shell your peas and beans. Just ask in a nice way for the hulls you want and make a supply of tea. It will keep in a dark storage area for a year without any problems until you need it. Claud