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Lily beetles in October!
soulboy
Posts: 429
At the beginning of June I planted 3 new Asiatic lily bulbs for flowering next year. I wasn't sure whether they would thrive because they appeared to have a white 'mould' on them. However, one started growing strongly and has reached about 8" in height.
I inspected it yesterday and noticed that a few leaves had been partially eaten and then saw a lily beetle hiding under a leaf. It did it's usual trick of falling to the floor before I could squash it so I gave the plant and ground around it a good dose of bug spray.
I couldn't believe it. I'm used to removing lily beetles in spring and early summer but I've never seen one at this time of the year before. But it seems whenever and wherever you plant lilies, they turn up.
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Yeah, they overwinter as adults so kill on sight! I found some rather torpid ones hiding in the leaves of my celeriac last winter, so they can probably be found almost anywhere in the garden at any time..
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Yes Bob, I'd forgotten they hide in the soil.