Bean Fly

Bean fly, Ophiomyia phaseoli is a shiny, metallic black fly 2 mm in length, with a wing span of 5 mm. Eggs are laid on the upper or lower surface of leaves. Maggots tunnel through leaf tissue (silvery mines), to the petiole, branch and/or upper part of the stem, and then down to the root. Affected plants may exhibit wilting, stunting, cracked or swollen stems, and death. Important in tropical Africa and Asia.