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HELP - Lilly Bettles
Thb
Posts: 18
Please could you offer some help and advice,
I live in the south east of England and have lots of lily's in the garden for the first time. Just went outside and saw 2 red bugs on my lilys. Googled and now know they are lily bettles.
So if I have adult ones what to do with them when I have picked them off the plant - I can't bring myself to crush them in my hands - that is horrid. Is there any other way??
As for the lava is there a spray or something I can use to kill it like bug ultra?
0
Posts
Next to my patch of lilies I have a flat stone and a pebble. I place the beetles on the flat stone and use the pebble as a hammer. Very satisfying it is too.
Not keen on spraying with insecticides as they do tend to damage other wild life. I have used Horticultural soft soap on the larva with some success. Otherwise wash the larva off with a damp cloth or tissue.
Last edited: 05 July 2017 14:32:51
Thank you Berghill,
The stone and the pebble sound a little brutal - but if needs must I think I will have to close my eyes and smack it one lol!
I will try the damp tissue idea - I really like my lily's I don't want them destroyed.
Also live in the SE, the lilly beetles are sneaky devils, when they detect vibration, if you arent quick to catch them, they drop onto the soil on their backs, undersides are brown and they are really difficult to then spot on the soil, the lava cover themselves with poo, last year they absolutely wrecked my lillies in spite of me checking several times a day, unfortunately if you want lillies, you have to be ruthless!
Watch out for friendly cats. Ours always seem to come and rub round the plant just as I spot a beetle.
I've got to be completely honest, I use Provado Ultimate Bug Killer. I know everyone is different and everyone has their own opinions. But I only have to use this once or twice and I spray at night when bees and other pollinators aren't around as much and I swear it really keeps the lily beetle population right down! Hope this helps
Berghill dont forget lillies are poisonous to cats.
I always remove the stamen from our lilies so that the pollen does not get on to our animals and our clothes.
And don't forget that the systemic insecticides can damage bees when they collect the pollen from affected plants. So you may be spraying when the bees and hoverflies are not about, but still could be poisoning them.
Last edited: 06 July 2017 12:31:40