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Lily Beetle !!!

DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,142
in The potting shed

I've just found a lily beetle on the surface of a pot of overwintering agapanthus - I squidged it!!! image

There were quite a few ladybirds snuggled down among the dry leaves and gravel on the surface of the pot which was in a sheltered south-facing corner of the terrace - but I spotted an 'odd-shaped ladybird' which was laying on its back ........ yes, a Lily Beetle - at the beginning of February.

Watch out folks!!! image


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





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  • Newbee3Newbee3 Posts: 29

    I hate these things, made me give up on growing lily

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,384

    Not spotted one yet Dove but noticed my madonna lilies (which grow leaves throughout winter) have some suspiciously lily-beetle shaped holes in the leaves.  The year before last I found them overwintering within the leaves of my celeriac! image

    Time for an inspection methinks..

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • Alan Lowcock2Alan Lowcock2 Posts: 1

    Don't give up growing lilies because of the dreaded lily-beetle, do daily checks on your plants & pick when you spot them good thing is the beetle is easy to spot being bright red! good luck.

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,142

    Just found three on a pot of over-wintered lilies - they're not there now! image


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





  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,142

    Then I found another four!!! image


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





  • IamweedyIamweedy Posts: 1,364

    This is just an observation I have made. I have had a lot of trouble with lily beetle over the last few years generally picking them off by hand.

    Earlier this year I used vine weevil nematodes and for the first time. I have also noticed far fewer lily beetles about in my Cheshire garden.   I wonder if the vine  weevil nematodes might just have been eating the lilly beetle grubs as well. Insect larvae are really quite similar  in form when they are in the ground.

    Any thoughts on this as possibility ? ?  




    'You must have some bread with it me duck!'

  • GWRSGWRS Posts: 8,478

    Lamweedy , hope you are right , however , I have not had as many lily beetles so far , found the first one on fritillaries  image

  • IamweedyIamweedy Posts: 1,364

    GWRS 

    Did you use nematodes ?




    'You must have some bread with it me duck!'

  • B3B3 Posts: 27,503

    Growing a few lillies for the first time.

    Squashed my first lily beetle today. They're a lot tougher than rosemary beetles. They crunch rather than squish, I find.

    assumed they went for the flowers rather than the leaves but only buds out at the moment. I wonder what attracts them to the plant. Is it the smell? If so, maybe another smell might confuse them.

    I dunno. I'm sure greater horticrltural brains are addressing the problem at this very minute.

    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • GWRSGWRS Posts: 8,478

    B3 , because they are difficult to quash , I let them drop into a jar with some white spirit , I can then do a body count at end of season 

    Lamweedy , no nematodes but I now do make a point of getting rid of the larva

    image

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