Root pest on bush beans

Question: I am growing two types of bush beans in a raised bed, and all plants of both types have developed a pest involving the root system (see image).  I have pulled all of them up now (and they all had this). The bugs very slowly move about, and resemble aphids, but with some spikes.   The productivity of the plants  was decreased.  My questions are the following:
1. What is this? The only thing I can find is root mealy bugs, but this doesn't seem to fit.
2. Do I need to do anything to treat the soil of this raised bed?  (I have 7 other raised beds, and nothing else seems to be involved). Hopefully these will get killed over the winter.  
3. Presumably this doesn't have anything to do with innoculant used for legumes?

responder: An Ask Extension Expert Replied September 09, 2024, 12:39 PM EDT
response: These look to be root aphids which are a common pest of mainly beans.  The overwintered eggs are laid in the soil or attached to the plant near the soil line where they hatch and fall to the ground.  Juveniles bore into roots leaving those areas vulnerable to diseases and rot, weakening the plant and reducing vigor.  If there are large numbers, they may even crawl up the stem to feed there.  The females are able to reproduce asexually--all female clones during the warm season which rapidly builds up their numbers.  During fall,  as the plant is overcrowded or food supply failing, winged females and males are produced that mate and lay eggs elsewhere. The root aphids can also travel drainage routes in the soil to new plants. Sometimes ants carry them.  Remove and bag infested plants. Use a garden fork or shovel to loosen the soil exposing any remaining aphids to the elements and natural enemies. Rotate your bean plantings, avoiding that area for a few years- typical veg garden rotation being 3 years.

responder: The Question Asker Replied September 09, 2024, 4:32 PM EDT
response: THANK YOU! While it sounds like I need to anticipate recurrence in future years, I have established a 4 year crop rotation, so hopefully this will help.  I did plant some more bush beans in another raised bed for fall production (quite distant from the afflicted bed), so it will be interesting to see if it is also involved.  If not, there is hope for next year!  I am somewhat frustrated that there was no information about this on the web.  I don't know why I am surprised, given the variability of information available on the web.   Sent with Proton Mail secure email.    On Monday, September 9th, 2024 at 12:39 PM, Ask Extension wrote:

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied September 10, 2024, 3:37 PM EDT
response: You're welcome. Fortunately, it's unusual to have yearly infestations of this insect that are severe enough to reduce plant growth and yields. Neem oil soil drenches are sometimes recommended if recurring populations become a problem, but it might not be reliably effective. There are two biocontrols (pesticides derived from natural agents) that you could consider which have been shown to be effective, but we cannot assure that they will work well, since living agents can be variable in their efficacy.Beauveria bassiana, which is an insect-killing fungusBeneficial nematodes (in particular, species Steinernema feltiae and Heterohabditis bacteriophora) There are several biocontrol and organic pest management companies online that sell these products if you wanted to give one a try in the future, though it shouldn't be necessary as a preventative if the problem isn't a regular occurrence. Although we usually recommend avoiding tilling the soil since it can damage soil structure, cultivating the soil with a small tiller might help to kill or disrupt root aphids (plus some other pests that spend part of their life cycle in the soil) prior to planting.  Miri