Agricultural Sciences, 2015, 6, 489-497 Published Online May 2015 in SciRes. http://www.scirp.org/journal/as http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/as.2015.65048 How to cite this paper: Mwanauta, R.W., et al. (2015) Potential of Controlling Common Bean Insect Pests (Bean Stem Maggot (Ophiomyia phaseoli), Ootheca (Ootheca bennigseni) and Aphids (Aphis fabae)) Using Agronomic, Biological and Botanical Practices in Field. Agricultural Sciences, 6, 489-497. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/as.2015.65048 Potential of Controlling Common Bean Insect Pests (Bean Stem Maggot (Ophiomyia phaseoli), Ootheca (Ootheca bennigseni) and Aphids (Aphis fabae)) Using Agronomic, Biological and Botanical Practices in Field Regina W. Mwanauta, Kelvin M. Mtei, Patrick A. Ndakidemi School of Life Sciences and Bioengineering, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania Email: mwanautar@nm-aist.ac.tz Received 27 March 2015; accepted 22 May 2015; published 27 May 2015 Copyright © 2015 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Abstract Common bean production in Africa suffers from different constrains. The main damage is caused by insect pest infestations in the field. The most common insects pests which attack common bean in the field are the bean stem maggot (Ophiomyia phaseoli), ootheca (Ootheca bennigseni) and aphids (Aphis fabae). Currently, few farmers in Africa are using commercial pesticides for the con- trol of these insect pests. Due to the negative side effects of commercial pesticides to human health and the environment, there is a need for developing and recommending alternative methods such as those involving agronomic and botanical/biological measures in controlling common bean in- sect pests. This review aim to report the most common insects pests which attack common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in the field and explore the potential of agronomic, biological and botanical methods as a low-cost, safe and environmentally friendly means of controlling insect pests in le- gumes. Keywords Field Pests, Damage, Pest Management, Plant Extracts, Explore, Potential 1. Introduction Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an annual leguminous plant that belongs to the family Leguminoaceae,