Forum home› Problem solving

Dastardly Lily Beetle

RosiethorneRosiethorne Posts: 2
in Problem solving

I've been invaded by lily beetle on my lilies and they are munching there way through my fritillaries now - any one got any tips to get rid of said beetle.  I've tapped the plants and trod on them but they seem to be there again next day, unless they are multiplying  

«1

Posts

  • Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,713

    There was a thread on this Forum about those lily beetles just a few days ago Rosiethorne.

  • debs64debs64 West Midlands, on the edge of the Black Country Posts: 4,217
    Spotted the first of these today and squished it! 8th March for Heavens sake! 
  • februarysgirlfebruarysgirl Posts: 523
    I gave up on lilies because I just couldn't stand the frustration of lily beetles. Even though I stamped on the little blighters and their larvae every day they still kept coming. I gave them to my OH's mum in the end and she rarely has a problem with them 🤷‍♀️ I did try fritillaries once but those damned things came back almost immediately. 
  • B3B3 Posts: 21,471
    Sometimes you have to accept that there are plants you can't grow and enjoy your garden. There are enough war zones in the world without starting one in your garden.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • Joyce GoldenlilyJoyce Goldenlily Posts: 1,351
    Planting lily bulbs on their sides, on top of a handful of gravel, very deep helps a bit. Also leaving the dead flower stem in situ until Spring can also help. When the flower stems are removed, backfill the hole left with soil and firm down. Start the lily beetle hunt in early Spring, crushing them firmly to give yourself satisfaction. Their wings are really tough. Watch out for their trick of dropping down onto the soil as soon as they feel any vibration. They lay upside down, playing dead, then crawl back into the bulb. Their undersides are black so really difficult to see against the soil. They also hide under the leaves of lilies and right down in the axils between the stem and leaves of the plant. They are also very slippery so not easy to get hold of. All self-defense mechanisms I suppose, they are so beautifully coloured it seems a shame for them to be so destructive and messy.
  • B3B3 Posts: 21,471
    Snip them with a pointy pair of scissors . Embroidery scissors or the like. You can kill them in situ and they don't get the chance to do the upside down thing.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • a1154a1154 Sunny South Scotland Posts: 948
    I have never seen one, I guess they haven’t ventured this far north. They are a lovely colour though. I detest lilies, to me they have a smell like….well I won’t say….but other people don’t smell the same pong, it’s very subjective.  
  • B3B3 Posts: 21,471
    Some of them smell like plasters to me.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • TheGreenManTheGreenMan Tyne & Wear Green Belt Posts: 1,541
    edited 9 March
    a1154 said:
     I detest lilies, to me they have a smell like….well I won’t say….but other people don’t smell the same pong, it’s very subjective.  

    I'm right there with you.  BLURGH!!!!!!
  • JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Paris FrancePosts: 726
    Had my first vine weevil adults yesterday, but no sign of the Lilly beetles yet…. Give it time I know they will arrive soon as my first lillies have broken through the soil!
Sign In or Register to comment.