Verdun.....well done for being wildlife friendly but beware ant poison ......especially powder like Nipon. A local beekeeper told me recently that one of the greatest dangers to bees is in fact ant powder which can easily be picked up on a bees legs and even the tiniest amount once transported back to the hive or nest can wipe out the whole bee colony! I have been looking around for a non chemical ,environmentally friendly alternative and have found a number of posts on the web claiming that powdered polenta sprinkled around the ants nest is brilliant because apparently the ants try to eat it but their digestive systems cannot cope with it and they die. Also boric acid is supposedly poisonous to ants. Have recently tried polenta and results so far looking very good.....but have not yet been able to find boric acid.
We have a lot of lillies in our borders and most have been munched by the dreaded lily beetles. Lost count how many I found. I discovered that they make a squeeking noise to warn their mates of attack, and if they drop off the plant, they lie on their backs so you cant see them...cunning little rotters!! A good way of catching them is to cup your hand under the area where the beetle is positioned and tip the plant into you hand, so the beetle lands in your hand and not on the soil, then crush it with your finger nails. Got quite fed up doing this so I use Bug spray on all the lilies, that seemed to finish them off and I have'nt seen any since..ha! It is a shame they do so much damage, as they are actually quite a pretty bug.
Well I live just north of wonder boy..... in Herts. and likewise am rather bemused at lack of a respectable show of lily beetles so far this year....3 max ....and none in the last 2 weeks!! I am not allowing myself to be lulled into a false sense of security however, since I think this is another one of their cunning strategies because they have realised that we are all now aware of the 'pretending to commit suicide by jumping off a leaf when spotted and then landing on your back and feigning death' routine!...No, I am convinced that we have not seen the last of them. I believe that they are in hiding ...probably in underground bunkers...and that they are most likely at this moment either regrouping in preparation for their main assault or being trained by 'Beetle Command ' in the ways of terrorist warfare and will probably launch their attack on an unsuspecting gardening public of East England later in the summer .....most likely when we are all away on our summer holidays. So wonderboy ,do not be surprised if you come back from your summer holiday to find that all your lilies have exploded!!
For years I have killed 50 to 60 by this time every year but this year I dont know what has happened but I have only found 7,have I finally beaten them?
Perhaps the lily beetles living in the south of England are "softies" and didn'y enjoy the cold winter and have emigrated to warmer climes..... or froze to death
I use a small piece of bamboo cane cut just below a node and fill it with vaseline, then put a cotton wool bud in it,this acts as a little pot and I can dab the Lily beetles which stick to the cotton wool bud, before they drop into the soil, this also works to collect the maggots which hide on the underside of the leaves, then I put the cane in the soil ready for next time hope this helps.
Posts
Verdun.....well done for being wildlife friendly but beware ant poison ......especially powder like Nipon. A local beekeeper told me recently that one of the greatest dangers to bees is in fact ant powder which can easily be picked up on a bees legs and even the tiniest amount once transported back to the hive or nest can wipe out the whole bee colony! I have been looking around for a non chemical ,environmentally friendly alternative and have found a number of posts on the web claiming that powdered polenta sprinkled around the ants nest is brilliant because apparently the ants try to eat it but their digestive systems cannot cope with it and they die. Also boric acid is supposedly poisonous to ants. Have recently tried polenta and results so far looking very good.....but have not yet been able to find boric acid.
ping
Lily beetle count still stands at only 2 so far... my fingers remain crossed altho as the season progresses surely they can't turn up this late?
We have a lot of lillies in our borders and most have been munched by the dreaded lily beetles. Lost count how many I found. I discovered that they make a squeeking noise to warn their mates of attack, and if they drop off the plant, they lie on their backs so you cant see them...cunning little rotters!! A good way of catching them is to cup your hand under the area where the beetle is positioned and tip the plant into you hand, so the beetle lands in your hand and not on the soil, then crush it with your finger nails. Got quite fed up doing this so I use Bug spray on all the lilies, that seemed to finish them off and I have'nt seen any since..ha! It is a shame they do so much damage, as they are actually quite a pretty bug.
Well I live just north of wonder boy..... in Herts. and likewise am rather bemused at lack of a respectable show of lily beetles so far this year....3 max ....and none in the last 2 weeks!! I am not allowing myself to be lulled into a false sense of security however, since I think this is another one of their cunning strategies because they have realised that we are all now aware of the 'pretending to commit suicide by jumping off a leaf when spotted and then landing on your back and feigning death' routine!...No, I am convinced that we have not seen the last of them. I believe that they are in hiding ...probably in underground bunkers...and that they are most likely at this moment either regrouping in preparation for their main assault or being trained by 'Beetle Command ' in the ways of terrorist warfare and will probably launch their attack on an unsuspecting gardening public of East England later in the summer .....most likely when we are all away on our summer holidays. So wonderboy ,do not be surprised if you come back from your summer holiday to find that all your lilies have exploded!!
For years I have killed 50 to 60 by this time every year but this year I dont know what has happened but I have only found 7,have I finally beaten them?
Bill
Perhaps the lily beetles living in the south of England are "softies" and didn'y enjoy the cold winter and have emigrated to warmer climes..... or froze to death
