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Help Red Beetles

WynkiesWynkies Posts: 8
in Problem solving
Hi I have 12 lovely Lilly's growing in pots They were all fine up until a few weeks ago And now there stems have gone Brown leaves have been nibbled on Any ideas please as when I have closely examined them there all have about 10-15 red beetles on them How do I get rid of them and his have my Lilly's got them I'm not an experienced gardener so any comments to help will be really appreciated Thank you
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Posts

  • artjakartjak Posts: 4,167

    If you don't want to use Provado which can kill bees I believe, then just put on some rubber gloves if you are squeamish (like me) and pick them off and stamp on them.

    Enjoyimage

  • WynkiesWynkies Posts: 8
    Oh I can't do that I don't like them little horrors some of them have gone brown now and I read on the Internet that that's apparently there excrement ??

    Is that true ??

    Please do you have any other ideas apart from Provado as I love Bees

    Thank you
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,615

    Rubber gloves and a pad of wet kitchen roll. Wipe them off and drop the larvae in the bin. The red beetles have laid eggs which have hatched. the black is excrement and the larvae are in the middle of it. They will strip your plant of leaves in a week otherwise.

  • WynkiesWynkies Posts: 8
    Really OMG !!

    Shall I just say goodbye to my Lilly's and buy some more bulbs and start from scratch again ?

    Or could I cut off the leaves that they have eaten ?

    Thank you
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,129

    I do as Fidgetbones says - it takes a couple of minutes and it works.  

    My lilies are just about to bloom image

    Seemples image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,384

    I'm afraid that if you want to grow lilies in the UK now, you MUST deal with lily beetles by either checking every day and picking them off by hand and killing them, or spraying with a systemic pesticide like Provado.  There are no other effective measures, unfortunately.  It's too late to plant lily bulbs now and even if you did, the beetles would devastate them unless you take control.

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • WynkiesWynkies Posts: 8
    Bob the Gardener

    Thank you for your reply , I am new to the gardening game so your post was much appreciated

    I will go to B&Q now and get Provado

    Will my Lilly's recover ? As some of the stems have gone brown ?

    Is there any plant food that could help my Lilly's back to there normal beautiful self

    Thank you
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,384

    Unfortunately, they won't grow new leaves (lilies just don't do that) but the provado will stop the beetles and their larvae in their tracks, so they won't get any worse.  If you are lucky, they will still produce flowers if the very tops of the stems haven't been eaten, but if those are gone it is curtains I'm afraid! image  If they are past saving, at least you know what to do next year to protect them. image

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • WynkiesWynkies Posts: 8
    Hi Bob

    Thank you for that information I'm going to B&Q as we speak lol

    My Lilly's are starting to flower so hopefully they will still be with us

    ????????

    Thanks Again
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,384

    Great - you should be OK then.image  If the lily stems look a bit of a mess, you can always hide them by placing a few pots of tall-growing annual plants under them.

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
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