hello everyone, I do agree the only good Lilly beetle is a dead one! I am a private grower and have the following information: these little beetles are vibrationally aware and so drop onto their backs as you approach and blend in with the soil as their underside is black. The only saving grace is that they wont eat anything else so with any damage to lilies you know its them. The spray that kills them (spray the underside of the leaves as well) is PROVADO ultimate bug killer - I have been using it for years. But Yes, I still have to pick the odd one off occasionally. I would Never leave the egg/grub which is covered in bug pooh to live but just pull them off the leaf with tissue dont actually take off the leaf. Best of luck everyone.
Donna, as far as I know all insects are 'vibrationally aware'. It is true that the Red Lilly beetles' tactic is to drop onto their backs. But you don't have to be that quick to pick them off by hand and I'm surprised that some people find it difficult to do this, excepting those who may have a problem with movement.
The RHS webpage on these creatures also suggests picking them off by hand, but also provides a list of sprays that kills them. Also, while it's true that lily beetles only feed on that plant, there other creatures that will eat lily leaves, such as the larvae (caterpillar) of the Totrix moth.
Yes they're very scary. I read if you make a solution of strained crushed garlic and keep inspecting and spraying it works. I haven't tried yet and I do not know the recipe. Having bought lots of lily bulbs at the NEC on Saturday I am now regretting because I didn't know they were prone to beetle attacks until after I bought them! Reading about lily care, it was in the information. Then I inspected my mum's big tiger iliy she has growing in a pot and lo and behold it did in fact have a few of the full grown scarlet beetles on there, as well as the poo type stuff shown above!! I registered the sighting on the RHS survey. Seems like they're on the rise. I'm going to try the garlic solution - if anyone knows the recipe please post :-)
Lilly beetles do not only eat lillies they eat Crown Imperials as well. My OH doesnt have any "problems with movement", but we have a lot of big pots of lillies, sometimes you see one, go for it, then it does the dissapearing act!
I tried the garlic solution last year, excellent for getting rid of caterpillars and such like but absolutely useless for lily beetles I found. I collect in a little pot and then squash them. Nasty little pests
i get totally preoccupied in spring when the lilli beetle is about, I check my plants every time I walk past which could be lots of times when I'm gardening.
i have missed catching them a couple of times, but usually I creep up and grab em - and the leaf too rather than chance missing them, sometimes there is two of them mating, which is a shame but never mind ha ah.
What I can't understand is why are these insects such a brilliant red colour, I know their underside gives them some camouflage but the red tops can be spotted immediately ?
I am the same Passionate - I creep up on the beetles often during the day when I am passing the lilies - they are so prominent in colour but why? Do they have any predators as I have never seen the birds attack them.
Slugs are fodder for hedgehogs, frogs and I assume toads, but lily beetles??? I will be interested to know if you have discovered the answer Passionate?!
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Donna, as far as I know all insects are 'vibrationally aware'. It is true that the Red Lilly beetles' tactic is to drop onto their backs. But you don't have to be that quick to pick them off by hand and I'm surprised that some people find it difficult to do this, excepting those who may have a problem with movement.
The RHS webpage on these creatures also suggests picking them off by hand, but also provides a list of sprays that kills them. Also, while it's true that lily beetles only feed on that plant, there other creatures that will eat lily leaves, such as the larvae (caterpillar) of the Totrix moth.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=553
Yes they're very scary. I read if you make a solution of strained crushed garlic and keep inspecting and spraying it works. I haven't tried yet and I do not know the recipe. Having bought lots of lily bulbs at the NEC on Saturday I am now regretting because I didn't know they were prone to beetle attacks until after I bought them! Reading about lily care, it was in the information. Then I inspected my mum's big tiger iliy she has growing in a pot and lo and behold it did in fact have a few of the full grown scarlet beetles on there, as well as the poo type stuff shown above!! I registered the sighting on the RHS survey. Seems like they're on the rise. I'm going to try the garlic solution - if anyone knows the recipe please post :-)
Lilly beetles do not only eat lillies they eat Crown Imperials as well. My OH doesnt have any "problems with movement", but we have a lot of big pots of lillies, sometimes you see one, go for it, then it does the dissapearing act!
I tried the garlic solution last year, excellent for getting rid of caterpillars and such like but absolutely useless for lily beetles I found. I collect in a little pot and then squash them. Nasty little pests
i get totally preoccupied in spring when the lilli beetle is about, I check my plants every time I walk past which could be lots of times when I'm gardening.
i have missed catching them a couple of times, but usually I creep up and grab em - and the leaf too rather than chance missing them, sometimes there is two of them mating, which is a shame but never mind ha ah.
What I can't understand is why are these insects such a brilliant red colour, I know their underside gives them some camouflage but the red tops can be spotted immediately ?
I am the same Passionate - I creep up on the beetles often during the day when I am passing the lilies - they are so prominent in colour but why? Do they have any predators as I have never seen the birds attack them.
I've never seen anything eating them or trying too, so like slugs, I ask myself what is the point of them?
Maybe I will google the question and see what it comes up with?
Slugs are fodder for hedgehogs, frogs and I assume toads, but lily beetles??? I will be interested to know if you have discovered the answer Passionate?!
They're not native to the UK and have no predators here :-(
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
It's up to us to help keep the numbers of lily beetles down then.....