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Lily beetle Larvae

TenNTenN Posts: 184
in Problem solving
Lily beetle may be one of the most beautiful but destructive bugs in my garden however their larvae are just vile. Who would be seen in public like this? Lily beetles get squished underfoot but these had to go in the bin with the stem. They're fast movers, no sign of them two days ago then bang .
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  • mikeydcox1970JGzQePlZmikeydcox1970JGzQePlZ Posts: 2
    How do you manage them, 
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Scrape them off and squash them as soon as you see them when they are small.
    Check everyday for Lily beetle. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited June 2023
    Get in early.  I decapitate the adults with finger/thumb nails.  Squashing is not too easy; if you stamp on then on a soft surface, they can survive.   Save time, just check on sunny days,

    Keep a hand underneath to catch them.  They wiill drop and disappear.

    The larvae are best caught early when stiil on leaves.  Just pick off occupied leaves/. Have a tissue handy.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Carefully remove the red adults and squash. For the larvae, wipe them off, or squirt with a hoze, or a jet from a little squirty bottle of water early on - they need checking every day as @Lyn says. They surround themselves with their excrement, and can easily hide below leaves, or in at leaf joints, so you have to be vigilant to keep on top of them. 

    The ones in that pic have been left far too long. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    I wipe any off with a piece of damp kitchen roll.
  • JohnjoeJohnjoe Posts: 77
    I'm using a spray Sunflower oil (shop bought One-Cal), and its working for me and the plant, the grubs turn black and shrivel up, still have to rub them off but its saving my lilies so far,  i'm keeping a very close eye.
  • debs64debs64 Posts: 5,184
    @Johnjoe What is the advantage of oil over water? 
  • TenNTenN Posts: 184
    In my defence it's the only lily in that part of the garden, got dumped in when I moved the mock orange and I only remember it's there when I do remember.
     Thought I'd post the pic as a visual reference for how much damage they can do and how awful they look.

  • Cambridgerose12Cambridgerose12 Posts: 1,134
    debs64 said:
    @Johnjoe What is the advantage of oil over water? 
    I suspect that the oil's effective because it stops up the spiracles and they can't breathe. 
  • debs64debs64 Posts: 5,184
    If you wipe them off with a tissue and then squish them they soon stop breathing. I must admit I don’t like the idea of spraying oil
    over my flowers but each to their own. 
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