We have so many pods of peas growing on the allotment that sometimes I can’t imagine that a few months ago these were just single peas sown in lengths of guttering. I often pick a pod and munch it as I wander around the plot. That was until I noticed some thing rather strange and ugly lurking beneath the shell. The pea caterpillar had shown its’ head. The little maggot had somehow got inside the pods while in the flowering stage and was eating the peas from inside the pod!
Now, again I had never came across this pest before, or even heard about it until I saw a video from Claire’s Allotment explaining about them. Made me more aware now to check the pods thoroughly before devouring the sweet peas inside. Not sure I’d like the taste of the grub! 😦
Happy diggin’
Debb
digginwivdebb 
Hi Deb, thanks for the link.
Enjoy the peas, we do!
I still enjoy them. I just look a little more carefully now before I eat them.
We had these interlopers too, ruined about half our pea crop and took ages to cautiously shell them ! Going to cover the peas with a horticultural fleece when they’re flowering next year. Still yummy though 🙂
I thought about covering them with horticultural fleece too, but to be honest, I get fed up having to constantly cover my crops with netting, fleece or plastic. I prefer to see the crops grow and not let them hide under cover. I can live with cautiously podding them! 😉
We had this problem last year. I sat in total ignorance as all the lovely white butterflies fluttered amongst my flowering peas. In shock, as I shelled the peas I showed them to Mrs Sensible, she told me about this horrid white pea butterfly that infects the peas when they are flowering. Uffa
I had never heard of this pea butterfly. I would love to identify what they look like. I was always under the impression that they burrowed into the existing pea pods and not through the pea flowers. Still, you live and learn.
I may be wrong, but that is the explanation I was given..
Yes, we had the little invaders, too. Very disappointing D:
I admit that I too was a bit disappointed but I still managed to harvest enough to feed my family. A wise allotmenteer once told me to plant one for yourself and one for nature. Works for me!