I've spotted three lily beetles so far - two on my lillies and one on my penstemon. I've taken to squishing them. I read somewhere today that the chinese use cola as a pest deterrent. Has anyone else heard of this method?
Also have them in Newcastle upon Tyne .been growing lilies in pots for about 5 years and this is the first time I have seen them......saw the red beetles at the beginning of the year and didn't realise it was them eating my plants thought it was slugs and snails ....my mother found out what it was through a gardening programme she saw this week ....upon further inspection my plants are infested ..I have managed to catch about 7 red bugs in the past 2 days but my leaves ,what's left of the are covered in loads of little piles of gunge and I mean loads ..my plants are just about to burst into flower.....any advice on how to get rid of this gunge quickly would be greatly appreciated....I am not an experienced gardener...usually get help from mother in law but she never seen these before ...thanks in advance
Pauline, underneath every pile of gunge is a lily beetle larva - that is how they protect themselves. The larvae actually cause far more damage than the adult beetles so you need to remove and squish them. Ether use gloves or wipe them off with tissue paper etc. Now you know you have Lily Beetle in your area, keep a sharp eye out for them early next year, from the time the lilies start growing. If you can catch the adults before they mate and lay eggs (which are also bright red), you can limit the damage by the larvae when they hatch.
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
Thanks bob ...do you know how long it takes for the larva to hatch from this pile of gunge...it might be quite hard to get it all as there is loads and my plants are quite thick in quantity
The larvae have already hatched and are munching away at your lilies right now!
The gunge is actually their poo which they cover themselves with after digesting the lily leaves they are eating (I know, disgusting little devils aren't they?!) If left, they can completely strip all the leaves in just a few days.
If you don't mind using chemicals, you could spray them all with Provado Ultimate Bug Killer, which is a systemic insecticide which will be absorbed into the lily plants and will kill them in short order. Unfortunately, it is toxic to all insects including bees, so if you have to resort to using it, make sure to read the instructions on the spray carefully and try to ensure it only goes on your lilies (bees aren't that keen on lily flowers anyway, so the risk of harming them is relatively low.)
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
Uh oh. I saw a lovely bright red bug on my lilies yesterday (only planted last year, but unfortunately already devastated by the slugs and snails) and thought what a lovely fellow, such a lovely bright red colour....it never occurred to me what it could be. I think I'll just pull them up because the two (out of six bought last year) that have managed to grow a bit and put out leaves are clearly not going to flower. Boo hoo.
Posts
I've spotted three lily beetles so far - two on my lillies and one on my penstemon. I've taken to squishing them. I read somewhere today that the chinese use cola as a pest deterrent. Has anyone else heard of this method?
Karen
Not heard of cola being a deterent but anythings worth a try.
KEF, started to squash the little blitters today. Tough little beetles aren't they
Well it's been a week now since I found any little blighters on my lilies ,now I have to sort out the slugs and snails slimey thugs
Can confirm these pests are now in the Newcastle upon Tyne area. Have grown lillies for years but never seen them until this year.
Not seen any for weeks now must be all that vigilance I've been doing.
Also have them in Newcastle upon Tyne .been growing lilies in pots for about 5 years and this is the first time I have seen them......saw the red beetles at the beginning of the year and didn't realise it was them eating my plants thought it was slugs and snails ....my mother found out what it was through a gardening programme she saw this week ....upon further inspection my plants are infested ..I have managed to catch about 7 red bugs in the past 2 days but my leaves ,what's left of the are covered in loads of little piles of gunge and I mean loads ..my plants are just about to burst into flower.....any advice on how to get rid of this gunge quickly would be greatly appreciated....I am not an experienced gardener...usually get help from mother in law but she never seen these before ...thanks in advance
Pauline, underneath every pile of gunge is a lily beetle larva - that is how they protect themselves. The larvae actually cause far more damage than the adult beetles so you need to remove and squish them. Ether use gloves or wipe them off with tissue paper etc. Now you know you have Lily Beetle in your area, keep a sharp eye out for them early next year, from the time the lilies start growing. If you can catch the adults before they mate and lay eggs (which are also bright red), you can limit the damage by the larvae when they hatch.
Thanks bob ...do you know how long it takes for the larva to hatch from this pile of gunge...it might be quite hard to get it all as there is loads and my plants are quite thick in quantity
The larvae have already hatched and are munching away at your lilies right now!
The gunge is actually their poo which they cover themselves with after digesting the lily leaves they are eating (I know, disgusting little devils aren't they?!) If left, they can completely strip all the leaves in just a few days.
If you don't mind using chemicals, you could spray them all with Provado Ultimate Bug Killer, which is a systemic insecticide which will be absorbed into the lily plants and will kill them in short order. Unfortunately, it is toxic to all insects including bees, so if you have to resort to using it, make sure to read the instructions on the spray carefully and try to ensure it only goes on your lilies (bees aren't that keen on lily flowers anyway, so the risk of harming them is relatively low.)
Uh oh. I saw a lovely bright red bug on my lilies yesterday (only planted last year, but unfortunately already devastated by the slugs and snails) and thought what a lovely fellow, such a lovely bright red colour....it never occurred to me what it could be. I think I'll just pull them up because the two (out of six bought last year) that have managed to grow a bit and put out leaves are clearly not going to flower. Boo hoo.