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Lily beetles

soulboysoulboy Posts: 429

I squashed the first 2 red lily beetles of the year yesterday. Here in Sheffield they are guaranteed to turn up in May. They were on some young plants in pots that I've brought on from bulblets.

As yet they haven't appeared on the mature lilies in the borders, but they will!

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,138

    I  squished loads earlier in the season - they were appearing as soon as the Crown Imperials surfaced, but I've got two big bowls full of lilies in bud and haven't seen a lily beetle for over a week - but I'm still looking image


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





  • soulboysoulboy Posts: 429

    Yes, some of my lilies in the borders are just budding. Whereabouts are you Dove?

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,138

    I'm in Norfolk image


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





  • Green MagpieGreen Magpie Posts: 806

    I found some a few days ago, in a lily that was planted in the autumn and is making its first appearance as a plant. I mean, how did they find my new lilies? I squished three at the time, and then another four this morning (all, incidentally, on only one of the six lilies in the bed).

  • soulboysoulboy Posts: 429

    Hi Verdun, I did and do exactly the same as you! If I do miss one first time and it does it's trick of falling to the ground and lying on it's back I give the ground around the plant a quick spray of insecticide.

    Green Magpie, I wondered the same as you when I first planted lilies. Now I have a bit more gardening experience I've learnt that whatever you plant it will attract whatever feeds on it. I planted roses, they got greenfly, I planted Philadelphus, that got blackfly, I planted primulas/primroses and caterpillars decimated some of them, etc, etc.

    Now I plant nasturtiums to attract the blackfly away from other plants, spray some plants with insecticide and spend a lot of time checking for caterpillars.

  • Green MagpieGreen Magpie Posts: 806

    M y lilies are in two clumps of three, in a mixed border, and somehow only one of the lilies has had beetles so far. I have just been out to check some different lilies in pots elsewhere in the garden, and they're OK.

    No matter how mixed the arrangement is, snails always seem to find their favourite plants. I have a single blue phlox on which most of the leaves, from the bottom up, were chomped off in a short time. I put down a few slug pellets and next morning removed about 6 snails from around its base.

     

  • ERICS MUMERICS MUM Posts: 627

    I've reached the stage now when I just don't buy plants that I know will be attacked. Lilies, Fritillaria, Dahlias, Lupins.  The latest to come under siege are  my 2 rosemary bushes - apparently the bug also enjoys lavender.  I can't be bothered checking for bugs and diseases regularly image

     

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