I was interested to read in the letters page of my daily newspaper today
that this year, runner beans are flowering but not setting beans. That has
been the case with the correspondent and his friends in different parts of
the country. Earlier this year all my runner beans were systematically
beheaded, one after the other, before they even had a chance of starting to
climb the bean poles and flower. At first, I suspected our three resident
wood pigeons, but on reflection thought that they would have eaten the
plants and not left them lying beside the stalks. Undaunted, I sowed a fresh
crop. However, they too went the same way. After some detective work, I
found that snails were the culprits, and what a lot I've got!

MikeCT