Starting beans / pests eating bean starts

[mr_yan]

I have this great raised bed where I have been composting in place and the soil has done really well for me. I started with straw bale gardening then merged into lasagna and last fall mixed in several inches of shredded leafs. This resulted in a lot of worms in black soft rich soil. This also resulted in near perfect conditions for pill bugs (aka sow bugs or roll-e-polies), millipedes, and slugs.

This year I had a really successful crop of sugar snap peas and am starting lima beans, green beans, and edamame (soy beans) in there now.

As soon as a bean emerges from the soil it is mobbed by the pill bugs, millipedes, and slugs. So far the record is two days before being consumed. Tonight I saw am emerged lima bean covered with pill bugs to the point where I could not see the green of the cotyledons - it was a ball the size of a quarter.

As soon as I realized the slugs were in the mix combat started. Tonight I was out there with a headlamp and chop sticks removing slugs. The watered down beer trap failed last night.

I see two options and only one is feasible at this time.
1) get ducks and chickens to clear this bed of insects
2) sprout the beans and grow them in something to be transplanted to the bed when a little larger.

I think I can use the gutter like I tried with my peas this year.

Any thoughts?
Any combat ideas?

 

[Crabbergirl]

First, don't water down the beer. That should get the slugs. But you can also use Diatomaceous Earth, sprinkled on the surface of the soil. That should cut them to shreads There are several organic insect products, Sluggo is one try going to http://gardensalive.com

Starting the plants in another location could work if you can transplant them after their stems sturdy up and they have true leaves. But I would want to get rid of the invaders first before planting even established plants in there.