Only the youngest and most tender pods should be used in this fashion. Fresh pea pods are very perishable and should be quickly moved to a shady area and spread out to avoid spoilage by heat. The harvested product should be shelled and processed rapidly. One of the worst in some parts of the state is the cowpea curculio. This small, black weevil feeds in the early part of the summer on the developing pods and later lays its eggs in the developing seeds of the southern pea.
Aphids can infest pea plantings causing yield loss as well as transmitting virus diseases.
Stink bugs and leaf-footed bugs can become severe pests in the late season. Lesser cornstalk borers can devastate a late planting of peas especially during dry weather. This pest feeds by boring into the stems of young seedlings causing stand loss. Although many diseases affect peas, few are very severe. Fusarium wilt causes extensive yellowing of the foliage with little pod production and eventually death.