Red Lily Beetles

PurpleRose

Good morning all

I have been out for a wander around the garden after my morning cup of tea and noticed Red Lily Beetles on my Snakes Head plant leaves.

Just wondering, do any of you have any easy ways of getting rid of them without having to make a trip to the shops? Also, I know bulbs need the leaves to give them energy when dying back but would it matter if I chopped a few leaves with lavae off? I know that they will eat them anyway.

Any advice would be hugely appreciated 😁

Thank you 

Alan Clark2 in Liverpool

Removing a few leaves will not seriously harm the plant, but another solution is to remove the larvae with a jet of water.

Valleysgirl

We have had Red Lily beetles on our Snakes Head fritillary for the first time this year as well. it's an early morning job of going up the garden and zapping them manually, its nature ! Dont mind as all our day is spent sprucing up our garden. I have 4 large pots with Lily's growing close to the pot with Snakes Head in so am on guard, sure there out there now waiting for the Gardening brigade to get into action !

PurpleRose

Thanks for your help there. 

I have several Lily Plants dotted around the garden too so I will have to keep my eye on them and Zap where I can. 

😁

februarysgirl

I had a massive problem with lily beetles. I'm a squeamish person but got so hacked off with them I'd pick them off and stomp them into the patio. Even though I was equally ruthless with the larvae, I still couldn't get rid of the damned things. Picking them off and destroying them greatly reduced the damage but I was so frustrated I gave my lilies to my other half's mum. Annoyingly, she rarely sees one! 

Dovefromabove

I get a piece of kitchen roll
or loo roll and wipe them and their droppings off the leaves and burn or flush 

Lyn

All my Lily beetles so far have been in pairs!   Caught at source 😀

Jacquimcmahon

I’ll say one thing for confinement I’ve been on beetle control so often I seem to have controlled them for now. Just wait until lockdown is over, I’ll be back at work and my beautiful Lilly plants will get decimated!

PurpleRose

Well I went out after posting and found 3 of them. They were squashed. Hopefully that is it but somehow I doubt it.

You are right there @Jacquimcmahon it will be a beetle free zone whilst we are on lockdown. When my hours go back to nothing afterwards it will be a beetle party with lots of Lilys to munch on 🤣🤣

Hopefully your theory is correct @Lyn stopping it at source.

@Dovefromabove I will try the tissue method 

How frustrating that she does not see any beetles @februarysgirl

februarysgirl

PurpleRose said:

How frustrating that she does not see any beetles @februarysgirl

I know! The only reason I can think of is that there's a garden round here that has a glut of them but none in any gardens near where she lives. I still get to see my lilies in full bloom, just not in my garden    Still, with so many cats in the neighbourhood, it's not such a bad thing.

D0rdogne_Damsel

I'm on a mission every day to get them, was feeling smug for two days as none found - today 2 on top of each other 😱, can't take your eye off them for a minute!